Eco-anxiety among Children and Young People: Systematic Review of Social, Political, and Geographical determinants

Background Eco-anxiety, the experience of challenging emotions relating to environmental issues, such as climate change, and the threats they present, is of increasing global public health concern. Although responses to eco-anxiety can be positive and motivational, experienced to a severe extent, they may contribute to depressive and anxiety disorders, exacerbate existing mental health conditions and negatively impact general wellbeing. Children and young people may be more susceptible to higher levels eco-anxiety, but the factors which contribute to eco-anxiety are not well-understood. This systematic review explored the social, political and geographical factors influencing eco-anxiety among children and young people. Methods A comprehensive search of articles published between 2017-2023 was conducted on using EBSCOhost for APA PsycArticles, APA PsycInfo, Child Development & Adolescent Studies, CINAHL, EconLit, GreenFILE, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, MEDLINE, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, and SocINDEX, with additional individual searches conducted on PubMed, Google Scholar, MedRxiv and PsyArxiv. The quality of included articles was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Checklist. The findings were summarised using a narrative synthesis approach. Results Eighteen studies were included in the synthesis after screening 2,588 articles. Determinants in three major categories were identified: social (including age, gender, socioeconomic position, education, news and social media), political (climate activism, government inaction and sense of betrayal), and geographical factors (direct exposure to climate change-related events and country/region). Nine studies were cross-sectional, five were qualitative, three were mixed methods and one was longitudinal. Most studies were from high-income countries, particularly Australia, New Zealand and Norway. Studies were of variable methodological quality, using different measurement approaches to eco-anxiety and most surveys were conducted online using non-representative samples. Conclusion Eco-anxiety is influenced by a range of social, political, and geographical factors. Governments and the mass media could play an important role in preventing eco-anxiety becoming of clinical concern. Given the lack of high-quality studies in this area, further research is essential to better understand the determinants of eco-anxiety across cultures to help minimize its impact on mental health and wellbeing and ensure it is channeled positively. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement This study did not receive any funding ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes All data produced in the present work are contained in the manuscript