Brophy Hailie, Olson Joanne, Paul Pauline
Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Int J Ment Health Nurs. 2023 Jun;32(3):633-661. doi: 10.1111/inm.13099. Epub 2022 Dec 29.
Climate change-related eco-anxiety in young people has made headlines around the world, but most study of this phenomenon has been limited to adults. Eco-anxiety is still not well defined in the literature, but generally refers to distress, worry, or concern related to the climate change crisis. Young people will be chronologically more exposed to climate change-related harms and problems, and this may be causing increased eco-anxiety in this population. This literature review aimed to summarize the relevant works on eco-anxiety in young people, provide a critique of the literature, identify gaps, and discuss the relevance to nursing practice. A literature search using multiple databases and other sources was completed, using applicable key terms and resulted in 23 sources to inform the review. Key themes of eco-anxiety definition variation, hopelessness and burden in young people, and responses to eco-anxiety are discussed, and critical analysis is undertaken. The main conclusions include a broad working definition of eco-anxiety that does not pathologize the eco-anxiety experience but recognizes that it can cause suffering. Also discussed is the role of nurses in reducing the potential or actual suffering of youth through hope promotion, challenging binary thinking patterns, building emotional resilience, encouraging action or involvement in climate change spheres, and promoting climate justice and advocacy. Recommendations for further research are offered.
年轻人中与气候变化相关的生态焦虑已成为世界各地的头条新闻，但对这一现象的大多数研究仅限于成年人。生态焦虑在文献中仍未得到很好的定义，但一般指与气候变化危机相关的痛苦、担忧或关切。从年龄顺序上来说，年轻人将更多地暴露于与气候变化相关的危害和问题中，而这可能正在导致该人群中生态焦虑的增加。这篇文献综述旨在总结关于年轻人生态焦虑的相关著作，对文献进行批判，找出差距，并讨论其与护理实践的相关性。通过使用多个数据库和其他来源，利用适用的关键词完成了一次文献检索，结果有23篇文献为该综述提供了信息。文中讨论了生态焦虑定义的变化、年轻人的绝望和负担以及对生态焦虑的应对等关键主题，并进行了批判性分析。主要结论包括对生态焦虑的一个宽泛的工作定义，该定义不会将生态焦虑体验病态化，但认识到它会导致痛苦。文中还讨论了护士在通过促进希望、挑战二元思维模式、建立情绪恢复力、鼓励采取行动或参与气候变化领域以及促进气候正义和倡导来减少年轻人潜在或实际痛苦方面的作用。还提供了进一步研究的建议。
