| Popis: |
Background Adolescents are increasingly aware of the treats of climate change and encouraged to take part in environmental actions. However, the current understanding climate anxiety adolescents is sparse. This study establishes the characteristics of adolescents who experience functional impairments induced by climate anxiety and who adopt pro-environment behaviours. It also characterizes the association between climate anxiety, feelings of self-efficacy and environmental actions. Methods 2 379) from 113 schools in Quebec answered questions about climate anxiety, self-efficacy, behavioural engagement and several indicators of wellbeing. Data were analysed using poisson regressions adjusted for potential confounders (age, gender, school type, material deprivation, etc). Results More than one in ten adolescents (11%) reported that thinking about climate change makes it difficult to sleep or interferes with their ability to get work or assignments done. Only 35% of adolescents believed that they can do something to address the problem and 44% tried to reduce their behaviors that contribute to climate change. Adolescents who are boys and who are less anxious were less preoccupied and involved in the fight against climate change. Teenagers from less affluent families were more concerned, but not more engaged. Those with a good relationship with their family and strong school connectedness were both less concerned and more involved in the fight against climate change. Adolescents who felt they can do something about climate change were more likely to try to reduce behaviors that contribute to climate change. Conclusion The findings are useful to identify and support vulnerable groups that are more likely to experience functional impairments due to climate anxiety. The feeling of climate self-efficacy was not well developed among some groups of adolescents. Improving the youth’s beliefs in their capacity to help address the climate change may be a key strategy to promote pro-environmental actions. As the threat of climate change increases, it will be important to follow the evolution of climate anxiety and engagement amongst adolescents. |
