Climate-Related Distress: Latent Profiles of Eco-Anxiety, PTSD and CPTSD Symptoms and Associated Resilience and Vulnerability Factors in a Portuguese Sample

Abstract

Climate change is increasingly recognized as a significant stressor affecting well-being, yet responses to climate-related distress are heterogeneous and may reflect the interplay of eco-anxiety and trauma-related symptoms. This study used latent profile analysis to identify patterns of climate-related distress and examined their associations with environmental identity, developmental adversity, attachment, prior psychopathology, demographic characteristics, and direct exposure to climate-related events. A sample of 917 Portuguese adults completed measures of eco-anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom clusters, Disturbances in Self-Organization (DSO) symptoms, environmental identity, childhood adversity, and attachment. Correlates were examined using multinomial logistic regression and MANOVA. A five-profile solution was identified, ranging from minimal symptom endorsement to severe, co-occurring elevations in eco-anxiety, PTSD, and DSO symptoms. Profiles differed in Protection of Nature, but not Connectedness with Nature. Higher-distress profiles were associated with greater direct exposure to climate-related events, childhood adversity, insecure attachment, prior psychopathology, younger age, and female sex, whereas lower-distress profiles were more strongly associated with secure attachment and the absence of previous mental health difficulties. These findings support a person-centered conceptualization of climate-related distress and highlight heterogeneity in the co-occurrence of eco-anxiety and trauma-related symptoms. Climate-related distress may be embedded within developmental, psychological, demographic, and socioecological contexts.