Climate change anxiety and its association with somatic symptom distress and idiopathic environmental intolerances: A cross-sectional study

Context

Individuals need greater climate change awareness in order to mitigate and adapt to climate changes but this awareness can lead to negative health outcomes including climate change anxiety.

Objective

To explore the associations between climate change anxiety, idiopathic environmental intolerances and somatic symptom distress, after accounting for modern health worries, anxiety and depression.

Methods

A non-representative sample of healthy volunteers completed a cross-sectional online survey that included the Climate Change Anxiety scale (CCA-13), single questions about idiopathic intolerance to five environmental agents, the Somatic Symptoms scale (SSS-8), the Modern Health Worries scale (MHW-12), and the Patient Health Questionnaire for symptoms of anxiety and depression (PHQ-4). Participants also reported their sex, age and subjective socioeconomic status. Bivariate analyses investigated associations between variables and path analyses explored potential mediating factors.

Results

432 participants completed the questionnaire, 421 of whom were included in analyses (67 % women, mean age: 32.7 standard deviation: 12.4). Climate change anxiety, idiopathic environmental intolerances, somatic symptom distress, modern health worries, and symptoms of anxiety and depression were positively correlated in bivariate analyses (Pearson's ranging from 0.22 to 0.57, all p < 0.001). In path analyses, modern health worries (R² = 9.9 %) partially mediated the relation between climate change anxiety (R² = 20.3 %) and two correlated outcome variables, idiopathic environmental intolerances (R² = 36.8 %) and somatic symptom distress (R² = 32.4 %).

Conclusions

Climate change anxiety may negatively affect perceived physical health. Stakeholders should aim at promoting climate change awareness while addressing modern health worries to avoid negative health outcomes.