Climate Change Induced Anxiety, Perceived Stress and Coping Strategies in Young Adults: Evidence from Pakistan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52053/jpap.v6i4.438Keywords:
Climate Change Anxiety, Coping Strategies, Perceived Stress, Young AdultsAbstract
Climate change has generated growing concern about its psychological consequences. This study investigates climate change-induced anxiety (CCIA), perceived stress (PS), and coping strategies among young adults (18–30 years) in Lahore, Pakistan. Using validated instruments i.e., Climate Change Anxiety Scale (CCAS), Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ), and Brief COPE, data was collected from 400 participants via convenience sampling. Anxiety about climate change has a strong positive correlation with adaptive coping, demonstrating that people employ useful coping mechanisms to address their concerns. Additionally, there is a slight positive correlation between climate change anxiety and brief and maladaptive coping, suggesting that some less beneficial strategies are also employed. All forms of coping, particularly maladaptive coping, are positively correlated with perceived stress. Gender differences were found in terms of coping strategies. Females reported to be using more emotion-focused strategies while males reported more substance-use coping. Findings are interpreted through Lazarus and Folkman’s transactional model of stress and more recent theoretical models of climate anxiety, with emphasis on cultural and contextual moderators relevant to South Asia. Implications for theory, future research, and culturally sensitive interventions are discussed.
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