Thereza Couto Marcia, Senent-Valero Marina, Alves Dos Santos Lorruan, Mateuzi Carmo Milena, Matijasevich Alicia, Pastor-Valero Maria
Departamento de Medicina Preventiva, Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Departamento de Salud Pública, Historia de la Ciencia y Ginecología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Alicante, Spain.
Front Public Health. 2025 Jun 5;13:1555386. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1555386. eCollection 2025.
Eco-anxiety disproportionately affects vulnerable populations and younger generations. High and chronic levels of eco-anxiety may have significant impacts on mental health.
This qualitative study, utilizing a guided group discussion methodology, aimed to explore perceptions of climate change, eco-anxiety, health impacts, resilience, pro-environmental behaviors, and opinions on governmental and institutional actions in São Paulo, Brazil. Six focus groups were conducted: four with young residents and women community leaders from marginalized communities, and two with university students from higher-socioeconomic backgrounds.
Perceptions of climate change varied: more vulnerable participants linked it to personal experiences but lacked understanding of its causes, while higher-income students relied on formal education. Though unfamiliar with "eco-anxiety," participants expressed related feelings. Vulnerable communities reported greater trauma and health impacts, with Black women leaders emphasizing how climate change exacerbates racial and gender inequalities. Community networks were vital for resilience, but climate change disrupted future plans-vulnerable groups faced immediate losses, while higher-income students made long-term choices like delaying parenthood. Poverty hindered collective pro environmental behavior in vulnerable communities. Participants from the outskirt criticized environmental messaging for neglecting their heightened risks. Across all groups, government inaction and prioritization of economic interests over environmental policies were key concerns.
Poverty and exclusion drive and exacerbate climate vulnerability, with marginalized populations often feeling their experiences are overlooked in climate discourse. These findings may offer valuable insights into the socio-political dimensions of climate vulnerability in other Global South contexts.
生态焦虑对弱势群体和年轻一代的影响尤为严重。长期处于高水平的生态焦虑可能会对心理健康产生重大影响。
本定性研究采用引导式小组讨论方法，旨在探讨巴西圣保罗市对气候变化的认知、生态焦虑、健康影响、恢复力、环保行为以及对政府和机构行动的看法。共进行了六个焦点小组讨论：四个小组的参与者为边缘化社区的年轻居民和女性社区领袖，另外两个小组的参与者为社会经济背景较高的大学生。
对气候变化的认知各不相同：较脆弱的参与者将其与个人经历联系起来，但对其成因缺乏了解，而高收入学生则依赖正规教育。尽管参与者不熟悉“生态焦虑”一词，但表达了与之相关的感受。脆弱社区报告了更大的创伤和健康影响，黑人女性领袖强调气候变化如何加剧种族和性别不平等。社区网络对恢复力至关重要，但气候变化打乱了未来计划——弱势群体面临直接损失，而高收入学生则做出了如推迟生育等长期选择。贫困阻碍了脆弱社区的集体环保行为。来自郊区的参与者批评环境宣传忽视了他们更高的风险。在所有小组中，政府不作为以及将经济利益置于环境政策之上是关键问题。
贫困和排斥导致并加剧了气候脆弱性，边缘化群体常常感到他们的经历在气候讨论中被忽视。这些发现可能为其他全球南方背景下气候脆弱性的社会政治层面提供有价值的见解。
