Examining effects within the same individuals over time indicated that climate concern predicted a small residual increase in psychological distress, but not in life satisfaction, one year later

Longitudinal relations between climate change concern and psychological wellbeing. Sarah E. McBride et al. Journal of Environmental Psychology, Volume 78, December 2021, 101713. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2021.101713

Highlights

.  Concerns about climate change effects may negatively impact psychological wellbeing

.  Detrimental effects of climate concern might be stronger for younger people

.  Pre-registered longitudinal links between climate concern and wellbeing are reported

.  Climate concern leads to residual increase in psychological distress one-year later

.  No effect observed for life satisfaction, and effects were not moderated by age

Abstract: Concerns about the effects of climate change are mainstream, and the climate crisis might have greater psychological impact on younger people. We hypothesise that climate concern will have detrimental links with psychological wellbeing over time, and that this association will be more pronounced among younger adults. We test our pre-registered predictions using two waves of an annual national probability panel study—the New Zealand Attitudes and Values Survey (N = 13,453). Cross-lagged models examining effects within the same individuals over time indicated that climate concern predicted a small residual increase in psychological distress, but not in life satisfaction, one year later. However, there was no evidence that the associations varied across age. These longitudinal findings indicate a novel link between climate concern and psychological distress, which is apparent across the adult lifespan.

Keywords: Climate changeStressAgeLongitudinalCross-lagged modelModeration