Introduction: Anxiety related to anthropogenic climate change is referred to as climate anxiety. Current research suggests a link between climate anxiety and mental health. In a previous study, we found that adults diagnosed with depression and/or anxiety disorders have significantly higher levels of emotional impairment due to climate anxiety than adults without these diagnoses, making them a potential vulnerable group.
Purpose: This study aims to determine the prevalence of climate-related emotional distress among patients and clinical staff in psychiatric care. Additionally, the study aims to identify potential risk and protective factors for climate-related emotional distress.
Methods: Quantitative online questionnaires will take place from October/November 2025 to June 2026 and will be used to survey psychiatric patients and clinicians. The following information will be collected: climate anxiety and other climate-related emotions, climate-related coping strategies, climate awareness, climate-related media usage, nature-relatedness, personality traits, self-efficacy, perceived stress, and mental health. Patients will also indicate their diagnosis, and clinicians will indicate their profession. Age, gender, social status, and whether they have (grand)children will also be documented. The data analysis will include descriptive statistics and inferential statistical tests.
Expected Results: We expect that psychiatric clinical staff will be impaired by climate anxiety to a similar small extent as the general German population, while we expect patients to be impaired to a greater extent. Additionally, we expect, for example, that climate awareness, nature-relatedness, and having (grand)children will be positively associated with climate-related emotional distress, while climate hope and self-efficacy will be negatively associated with it.
Expected Conclusions: It is to be expected that psychiatric patients represent a potential risk group for climate-related emotional distress. Clinical staff in psychiatric care should therefore be adequately prepared to deal with these emotions. When implementing this, consideration should also be given to how these emotions affect psychiatric clinical staff themselves.