Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London, London, UK; Grantham Institute-Climate Change and Environment, Imperial College London, London, UK; Mental Health Innovations, London, UK.
Grantham Institute-Climate Change and Environment, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Lancet Planet Health. 2022 Sep;6(9):e726-e738. doi: 10.1016/S2542-5196(22)00172-3.
The COVID-19 pandemic and climate change are both significant and pressing global challenges, posing threats to public health and wellbeing. Young people are particularly vulnerable to the distress both crises can cause, but understanding of the varied psychological responses to both issues is poor. We aimed to investigate these responses and their links with mental health conditions and feelings of agency.
We conducted an online survey between Aug 5 and Oct 26, 2020, targeting a diverse sample of young people (aged 16-24 years, n=530) in the UK. The survey was distributed using a combination of a survey panel (panel sample) and direct approaches to youth groups and schools who shared the survey with young people in their networks (community sample). We collected data on respondents' psychological responses to both climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, their sense of agency to respond to each crisis, and the range of impacts on their lives. We also collected demographics data and screened for mental health and wellbeing indicators. We used non-parametric tests for most statistical comparisons. For paired samples, we used Wilcoxon's signed-rank test, and used Mann-Whitney U-tests or Kruskal-Wallis tests for two or more independent samples. Summed scale scores were considered as interval-level data and analysed with Student's t tests and ANOVAs. Effect sizes are reported as Cohen's d and partial eta-squared (η·), respectively.
After excluding 18 suspected bots and 94 incomplete responses, 530 responses were retained for analysis. Of the 518 respondents who provided demographic data, 63% were female, 71·4% were White, and the mean family affluence score was 8·22 (SD 2·29). Most participants (n=343; 70%) did not report a history of diagnosis or treatment for a mental health disorder, but mental health scores indicated a common experience of (relatively mild) symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress. Although UK youth reported more life disruption and concern for their future due to the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change was associated with significantly greater distress overall, particularly for individuals with low levels of generalised anxiety. The COVID-19 pandemic was more associated with feelings of anxiety, isolation, disconnection, and frustration; distress around loss and grief; and effects on quality of life. Climate change was more likely to evoke emotions such as interest and engagement, guilt, shame, anger, and disgust. The greater distress attributed to climate change overall was due, in particular, to higher levels of guilt, sense of personal responsibility, and greater distress triggered by upsetting media coverage. Agency to address climate change was associated with greater climate distress, but pandemic-related distress and agency were unrelated.
The COVID-19 pandemic and climate change are affecting the wellbeing of UK young people in distinct ways, with implications for health service, policy, and research responses. There is a need for mental health practitioners, policy makers, and other societal actors to account for the complex relationship between climate agency, distress, and mental wellbeing in young people.
Imperial College London.
新冠疫情和气候变化都是重大且紧迫的全球挑战，对公共卫生和健康构成威胁。年轻人尤其容易受到这两种危机造成的困扰，但对这两个问题的各种心理反应的理解却很差。我们旨在调查这些反应及其与心理健康状况和代理感的关系。
我们于 2020 年 8 月 5 日至 10 月 26 日在英国开展了一项针对年轻人（年龄 16-24 岁，n=530）的在线调查。该调查使用了调查小组（小组样本）和直接向青年团体和学校的组合进行了调查，这些团体和学校与他们网络中的年轻人分享了调查。我们收集了受访者对气候变化和新冠疫情的心理反应、他们对每个危机的代理感，以及对他们生活的各种影响的数据。我们还收集了人口统计学数据，并对心理健康和幸福感指标进行了筛查。我们对大多数统计比较使用了非参数检验。对于配对样本，我们使用了 Wilcoxon 符号秩检验，对于两个或更多独立样本，使用了 Mann-Whitney U 检验或 Kruskal-Wallis 检验。总和量表分数被视为区间水平数据，并使用学生 t 检验和方差分析进行分析。效应大小分别以 Cohen's d 和部分 eta 平方（η²）表示。
在排除 18 个疑似机器人和 94 个不完整的回复后，保留了 530 个回复进行分析。在提供人口统计学数据的 518 名受访者中，63%为女性，71.4%为白人，家庭富裕评分的平均值为 8.22（标准差 2.29）。大多数参与者（n=343；70%）没有报告过心理健康障碍的诊断或治疗史，但心理健康评分表明他们都经历了（相对较轻的）焦虑、抑郁和压力的症状。尽管英国年轻人报告说由于新冠疫情导致生活中断和对未来的担忧更多，但气候变化总体上与更大的困扰相关，特别是对于一般焦虑程度较低的个体。新冠疫情与焦虑、孤立、脱节和沮丧等情绪更相关；与失落和悲伤有关的困扰；以及对生活质量的影响。气候变化更可能引发兴趣和参与、内疚、羞耻、愤怒和厌恶等情绪。与气候变化相关的更大困扰主要是由于更高水平的内疚感、个人责任感以及更易受令人不安的媒体报道的影响。应对气候变化的机构与更大的气候困扰有关，但与与大流行相关的困扰和机构无关。
新冠疫情和气候变化正在以不同的方式影响英国年轻人的幸福感，这对卫生服务、政策和研究应对措施都有影响。心理健康从业者、政策制定者和其他社会行为者有必要考虑到年轻人中气候机构、困扰和心理健康之间的复杂关系。
伦敦帝国理工学院。
