Abstract There is increasing attention to the negative emotional responses associated with awareness of climate change. We present three studies developing a scale of climate change anxiety. In Study 1, the scale was developed and validated in an MTurk sample of 197. Exploratory factor analysis of our item pool revealed a four-factor structure, with cognitive-emotional impairment, functional impairment, behavioral engagement, and experience emerging as unique factors. Cognitive-emotional impairment and functional impairment were considered to constitute subscales for climate change anxiety; along with behavioral engagement, they were all related to experience as well as to negative emotions. Neither climate change anxiety nor general depression and anxiety were related to behavioral engagement. Study 2 replicated the factor structure as well as the pattern of correlations in a second MTurk sample of 199. Study 3 examined the relationship between climate change anxiety and adaptation responses in a sample of 217, and tested whether climate change anxiety scores would be affected by the framing of a climate change message. Overall, results suggest that climate change anxiety is not uncommon, especially among younger adults; that worry can be differentiated from a more serious impact on one's life; and that climate change anxiety is correlated with emotional but not behavioral responses to climate change.

中文翻译：

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气候变化焦虑量度的开发和验证

摘要 人们越来越关注与气候变化意识相关的负面情绪反应。我们提出了三项研究，开发了气候变化焦虑的量表。在研究 1 中，该量表是在 197 个 MTurk 样本中开发和验证的。我们项目库的探索性因素分析揭示了一个四因素结构，其中认知情绪障碍、功能障碍、行为参与和经验成为独特的因素。认知情绪障碍和功能障碍被认为构成气候变化焦虑的分量表；除了行为参与，它们都与经验和负面情绪有关。气候变化焦虑和一般抑郁和焦虑都与行为参与无关。研究 2 在第二个 MTurk 样本 199 中复制了因子结构以及相关性模式。研究 3 检查了 217 样本中气候变化焦虑和适应反应之间的关系，并测试了气候变化焦虑分数是否会受到影响气候变化信息的框架。总体而言，结果表明气候变化焦虑并不少见，尤其是在年轻人中；这种担忧可以与对一个人的生活产生更严重的影响区分开来；并且气候变化焦虑与对气候变化的情绪反应有关，但与行为反应无关。并测试气候变化焦虑分数是否会受到气候变化信息框架的影响。总体而言，结果表明气候变化焦虑并不少见，尤其是在年轻人中；这种担忧可以与对一个人的生活产生更严重的影响区分开来；并且气候变化焦虑与对气候变化的情绪反应有关，但与行为反应无关。并测试气候变化焦虑分数是否会受到气候变化信息框架的影响。总体而言，结果表明气候变化焦虑并不少见，尤其是在年轻人中；这种担忧可以与对一个人的生活产生更严重的影响区分开来；并且气候变化焦虑与对气候变化的情绪反应有关，但与行为反应无关。