462 - Eco-Distress Among Teens in California

Publication Number: 462.4940

Cecile Yama, University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Rebecca Tsevat, University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Rebecca N. Dudovitz, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Peter Szilagyi, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, CA, United States; Kathryn Leifheit, University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, United States

Background: Climate change is one of the greatest existential threats to children of our time, with 20,000 children displaced per day, mostly due to floods and storms. Extreme heat, one manifestation of climate change, is associated with poor learning outcomes and worse sleep. There is also a growing youth mental health crisis in the United States, with rising rates of both depression and anxiety. Eco-distress relates feelings of worry, anxiety and depression to climate change awareness. Increasing our understanding of eco-distress as a potential contributor to poor mental health may inform better patient care for teens.

Objective: To describe the prevalence and characteristics of teens experiencing eco-distress in California.

Design/Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study we examine characteristics of teens (age 12-17 years) during 2021-2023 who reported experiencing eco-distress. We use data from the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), the largest state-based health survey. Participants answered the question, “Does the issue of climate change make you feel nervous, depressed, or emotionally stressed?,” with a dichotomous yes/no response. We describe a “yes” response to this question hereafter as “eco-distress.” Design-based chi-square tests were used for survey-weighted bivariate comparisons of respondent sociodemographic characteristics.

Results: In this representative sample of 3122 teens California, over one third (38.3%) of teens reported eco-distress (Table 1). Bivariate analyses indicated that eco-distress varied significantly according to teens’ age, sex, race and ethnicity, family income, parental education, health (all p< 0.001), and urbanicity (p=0.013). Within these groups, the most likely teens to report eco-distress were those in middle adolescence (77% for age 14-17), who identified as female (61%), who identified as non-Hispanic white (40%), with families at >300% of the federal poverty line, whose parents had some college education (41%), in urban zip-codes (51%), and in poor health (53%). There was no relationship between language spoken at home and eco-distress.

Conclusion(s): Overall, teens reported a high level of eco-distress related to climate change. Increased knowledge and distress may be more prevalent in more socioeconomically advantaged groups that have greater awareness of climate change. Eco-distress was less reported in underprivileged teens who may have many competing needs and preoccupations. Further studies must be done to understand the relationship between eco-distress and mental health conditions in teens.

Eco-Distress Among California Teens, 2021-2023
This table represents bivariate analyses of weighted eco-distress among California teens in the annual CHIS survey from 2021-2023.1. Count number represents actual total count, whereas percent reflects weighted percentages 2. Data on Black race alone was not available in CHIS public use files, and is including in the “Other NH” category. 3. Good health defined as “excellent” or “very good.” Poor health defined as “good,” or “fair or poor.” 4. Urbanicity defined using zip-code based Claritas classifications.