TY - JOUR
T1 - The concerned steward effect
T2 - Exploring the relationship between climate anxiety, psychological distress, and self-reported climate related behavioural engagement
AU - Lukacs, Julia N.
AU - Bratu, Andreea
AU - Adams, Shona
AU - Logie, Carmen
AU - Tok, Nathaniel
AU - McCunn, Lindsay J.
AU - Lem, Melissa
AU - Henley, Arden
AU - Closson, Kalysha
AU - Martin, Gina
AU - Gislason, Maya K.
AU - Takaro, Tim
AU - Card, Kiffer G.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2023/9
Y1 - 2023/9
N2 - Previous research has demonstrated that heightened levels of climate change anxiety are correlated with psychological distress. Some have argued that engagement in pro-environmental behaviour might be associated with lower levels of climate anxiety and psychological distress. As such, this study aimed to explore the association between pro-environmental behavioural engagement, climate change anxiety, and generalized psychological distress. Participants living in British Columbia, Canada aged 16+ completed a serial cross-sectional online survey. We examined inter-relationships between self-reported Climate-related Behavioural Engagement (BE) scores, Climate Change Anxiety Scale (CCAS) scores, and Kessler Psychological Distress (K6) scores using scatterplots, Spearman Rank Correlation and multivariable linear regression. Among 1553 participants, higher CCAS scores and higher BE scores were both associated with greater psychological distress. An interaction term between these variables indicated that as CCAS scores increased, the effect of self-reported behavioural engagement on psychological distress was attenuated. Findings suggest that self-reported behavioural engagement and climate anxiety are correlated, a phenomenon we refer to as the concerned steward effect. However, the association becomes attenuated among those with high levels of distress, perhaps driven by a diminishing return of behavioural engagement or difficulties of behavioural engagement among those with high distress.
AB - Previous research has demonstrated that heightened levels of climate change anxiety are correlated with psychological distress. Some have argued that engagement in pro-environmental behaviour might be associated with lower levels of climate anxiety and psychological distress. As such, this study aimed to explore the association between pro-environmental behavioural engagement, climate change anxiety, and generalized psychological distress. Participants living in British Columbia, Canada aged 16+ completed a serial cross-sectional online survey. We examined inter-relationships between self-reported Climate-related Behavioural Engagement (BE) scores, Climate Change Anxiety Scale (CCAS) scores, and Kessler Psychological Distress (K6) scores using scatterplots, Spearman Rank Correlation and multivariable linear regression. Among 1553 participants, higher CCAS scores and higher BE scores were both associated with greater psychological distress. An interaction term between these variables indicated that as CCAS scores increased, the effect of self-reported behavioural engagement on psychological distress was attenuated. Findings suggest that self-reported behavioural engagement and climate anxiety are correlated, a phenomenon we refer to as the concerned steward effect. However, the association becomes attenuated among those with high levels of distress, perhaps driven by a diminishing return of behavioural engagement or difficulties of behavioural engagement among those with high distress.
KW - Behavioural engagement
KW - British columbia
KW - Climate action
KW - Climate anxiety
KW - Climate change
KW - Generalized psychological distress
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85166934764
U2 - 10.1016/j.jenvp.2023.102091
DO - 10.1016/j.jenvp.2023.102091
M3 - Journal Article
AN - SCOPUS:85166934764
SN - 0272-4944
VL - 90
JO - Journal of Environmental Psychology
JF - Journal of Environmental Psychology
M1 - 102091
ER -
