Addressing youths' climate change-related distress: a qualitative study on the experience of burden, triggering and protective factors.

ABSTRACT:

Background and objective

In recent years, growing scientific and public awareness has highlighted the negative impacts of climate change on mental health, particularly among young people, who are disproportionately affected. These findings underscore the need for effective and scalable interventions to support individuals experiencing climate change-related distress (CCD). At the initial stage, it is crucial to understand how this distress manifests and what the momentary risk and protective factors are that exacerbate and modulate its dynamic occurrence in everyday life.

Methods

In this context of need, nine qualitative, semistructured interviews with young individuals, aged between 14 and 25 and living in Germany, with CCD were conducted. Interviews centred on individuals'

SUBMITTER: Wasmus H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12496112 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature