Psychological Profiles of Adolescents About Climate Change Anxiety and Worries: An Application of Latent Profile Analysis

Abstract

Climate change generates uncertainty and insecurity, shaping human–environment relations and contributing to psychological distress, particularly in the form of worry and anxiety. While moderate levels of worry may foster adaptive responses, elevated worry and anxiety are associated with emotional and functional difficulties. Adolescents may be especially vulnerable to these reactions due to their developmental stage. This study aimed to identify psychological profiles characterized by different levels of climate change worry and anxiety. Preliminary analyses also explored sex- and age-related differences, as well as the associations of worry and anxiety with emotion regulation difficulties and internalizing and externalizing symptoms. The study involved 625 Italian adolescents aged 14 to 18 years who completed online self-report questionnaires during regular school hours. No significant sex or age differences emerged for climate change anxiety, whereas boys and older adolescents reported higher levels of worry. Latent profile analysis identified three groups: low (77.3%), moderate (17.3%), and high (5.4%) worry and anxiety, with progressively greater emotional dysregulation and psychopathological symptoms. Adolescents in the moderate and high profiles reported more difficulties than those in the low profile across most indicators. The moderate and high groups differed primarily in externalizing symptoms, which were more pronounced among adolescents with higher levels of anxiety. These findings suggest that increasing levels of climate-related distress are associated with greater impairment in emotional and behavioral functioning. They highlight the importance of interventions aimed at strengthening adolescents’ emotion regulation resources and psychological well-being.