Climate Anxiety in Europe (Working title)

The project aims to advance understanding and anticipation of the mental-health impacts of climate change, with a particular focus on climate anxiety. Alongside the general population, the project will investigate several vulnerable groups, including patients in outpatient and (semi-)inpatient psychiatric care, as well as individuals especially affected by the consequences of climate change.

A broad range of factors relevant to the investigation of climate-related mental health outcomes will be considered. These include different conceptual frameworks and measurement approaches for assessing climate anxiety; individual and collective exposure to climate change; and cultural differences in how climate anxiety is experienced, expressed, and addressed both in the general population and within therapeutic contexts. The project will also explore the role of place and identity, coping strategies, resilience factors, and psychological processes at both the individual and group levels, along with other potential individual and collective determinants. Finally, it will consider implications for behavioral and structural prevention strategies to support mental health in the context of a changing climate.