{"id":{"repo_id":"gmu","oai_identifier":"oai:MARS:1920/14728"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/gmu/oai:MARS:1920/14728","repository":{"repo_id":"gmu","name":"George Mason University","base_url":"https://mars.gmu.edu/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Assessing and Mitigating Climate Change Psychological Distress: Scale Development and Pilot Intervention","abstract":"Climate change poses an existential threat to human health and well-being, yet its mental health impacts remain under examined. This dissertation addresses that gap by conceptualizing Climate Change Psychological Distress (CCPD), developing and validating a brief screening tool to assess it, estimating its prevalence in two large, demographically diverse U.S. samples, and designing and pilot-testing an intervention to reduce CCPD. In Study 1, I adapted and modified widely used mental health screening tools (PHQ-4 and its subscales) to capture climate-specific psychological distress, resulting in the development of the Climate PHQ-4. Psychometric analysis of the scale suggests it has structural validity, functions consistently across age and racial groups, and has strong construct validity. Prevalence estimates from two surveys (n = 2,006) indicate that 70.6% of respondents fell within the normal range, while 15.8% experienced mild, 9.3% moderate, and 4.3% severe CCPD. Additionally, 16.9% and 14.1% reported potentially clinically significant levels of climate-related anxiety and depression, respectively. Higher levels of CCPD were particularly evident among younger people, Hispanic and Black Americans, those with less than a high school education, Democrats, and people categorized as Alarmed or Concerned in the Global Warming’s Six Americas segmentation. In Study 2, I developed and pilot-tested a text message-based intervention designed to reduce CCPD and promote well-being and pro-climate behaviors among people likely to be experiencing CCPD. Participants (n = 170) were recruited in partnership with climate advocacy organizations, and the intervention was evaluated using a randomized controlled trial with a waitlist control design. Over the course of one month, participants received two messages per week, with each week’s messages grounded in a different evidence-based construct—hope, self-efficacy, social norms, or response efficacy. Results indicate that the intervention was moderately effective in reducing CCPD, though it did not significantly improve well-being or increase pro-climate actions. Unexpectedly, individual pro-environmental behaviors—such as turning off unused electronics, walking or biking instead of driving—declined. Qualitative evidence also suggests that many participants found the intervention encouraging, supportive, and helpful in fostering a sense of solidarity and connection. These findings highlight the potential of text messaging as a low-cost, scalable strategy to support those experiencing climate-related psychological distress. In sum, this dissertation advances the measurement of CCPD and contributes to the development of accessible, evidence-based approaches to support those experiencing the psychological toll of climate change.","abstract_html":"Climate change poses an existential threat to human health and well-being, yet its mental health impacts remain under examined. This dissertation addresses that gap by conceptualizing Climate Change Psychological Distress (CCPD), developing and validating a brief screening tool to assess it, estimating its prevalence in two large, demographically diverse U.S. samples, and designing and pilot-testing an intervention to reduce CCPD. In Study 1, I adapted and modified widely used mental health screening tools (PHQ-4 and its subscales) to capture climate-specific psychological distress, resulting in the development of the Climate PHQ-4. Psychometric analysis of the scale suggests it has structural validity, functions consistently across age and racial groups, and has strong construct validity. Prevalence estimates from two surveys (n = 2,006) indicate that 70.6% of respondents fell within the normal range, while 15.8% experienced mild, 9.3% moderate, and 4.3% severe CCPD. Additionally, 16.9% and 14.1% reported potentially clinically significant levels of climate-related anxiety and depression, respectively. Higher levels of CCPD were particularly evident among younger people, Hispanic and Black Americans, those with less than a high school education, Democrats, and people categorized as Alarmed or Concerned in the Global Warming’s Six Americas segmentation. In Study 2, I developed and pilot-tested a text message-based intervention designed to reduce CCPD and promote well-being and pro-climate behaviors among people likely to be experiencing CCPD. Participants (n = 170) were recruited in partnership with climate advocacy organizations, and the intervention was evaluated using a randomized controlled trial with a waitlist control design. Over the course of one month, participants received two messages per week, with each week’s messages grounded in a different evidence-based construct—hope, self-efficacy, social norms, or response efficacy. Results indicate that the intervention was moderately effective in reducing CCPD, though it did not significantly improve well-being or increase pro-climate actions. Unexpectedly, individual pro-environmental behaviors—such as turning off unused electronics, walking or biking instead of driving—declined. Qualitative evidence also suggests that many participants found the intervention encouraging, supportive, and helpful in fostering a sense of solidarity and connection. These findings highlight the potential of text messaging as a low-cost, scalable strategy to support those experiencing climate-related psychological distress. In sum, this dissertation advances the measurement of CCPD and contributes to the development of accessible, evidence-based approaches to support those experiencing the psychological toll of climate change.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Uppalapati, Sri Saahitya"],"institution":null,"degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025","date_published":"2025","updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:51:48Z","subjects":["Climate & Mental Health","Climate & Mental Health Interventions","Climate Change Psychological Distress"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["hdl:1920/14728"],"render_values":[{"text":"hdl:1920/14728","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":null,"outbound_label":null,"outbound_source":null},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2025"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Dissertation"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Climate & Mental Health","Climate & Mental Health Interventions","Climate Change Psychological Distress"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["hdl:1920/14728"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.other","label":"Dc Description Other","values":["Climate change poses an existential threat to human health and well-being, yet its mental health impacts remain under examined. This dissertation addresses that gap by conceptualizing Climate Change Psychological Distress (CCPD), developing and validating a brief screening tool to assess it, estimating its prevalence in two large, demographically diverse U.S. samples, and designing and pilot-testing an intervention to reduce CCPD. In Study 1, I adapted and modified widely used mental health screening tools (PHQ-4 and its subscales) to capture climate-specific psychological distress, resulting in the development of the Climate PHQ-4. Psychometric analysis of the scale suggests it has structural validity, functions consistently across age and racial groups, and has strong construct validity. Prevalence estimates from two surveys (n = 2,006) indicate that 70.6% of respondents fell within the normal range, while 15.8% experienced mild, 9.3% moderate, and 4.3% severe CCPD. Additionally, 16.9% and 14.1% reported potentially clinically significant levels of climate-related anxiety and depression, respectively. Higher levels of CCPD were particularly evident among younger people, Hispanic and Black Americans, those with less than a high school education, Democrats, and people categorized as Alarmed or Concerned in the Global Warming’s Six Americas segmentation. In Study 2, I developed and pilot-tested a text message-based intervention designed to reduce CCPD and promote well-being and pro-climate behaviors among people likely to be experiencing CCPD. Participants (n = 170) were recruited in partnership with climate advocacy organizations, and the intervention was evaluated using a randomized controlled trial with a waitlist control design. Over the course of one month, participants received two messages per week, with each week’s messages grounded in a different evidence-based construct—hope, self-efficacy, social norms, or response efficacy. Results indicate that the intervention was moderately effective in reducing CCPD, though it did not significantly improve well-being or increase pro-climate actions. Unexpectedly, individual pro-environmental behaviors—such as turning off unused electronics, walking or biking instead of driving—declined. Qualitative evidence also suggests that many participants found the intervention encouraging, supportive, and helpful in fostering a sense of solidarity and connection. These findings highlight the potential of text messaging as a low-cost, scalable strategy to support those experiencing climate-related psychological distress. In sum, this dissertation advances the measurement of CCPD and contributes to the development of accessible, evidence-based approaches to support those experiencing the psychological toll of climate change."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Assessing and Mitigating Climate Change Psychological Distress: Scale Development and Pilot Intervention"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:date.issued":["2025"],"dc:description.other":["Climate change poses an existential threat to human health and well-being, yet its mental health impacts remain under examined. This dissertation addresses that gap by conceptualizing Climate Change Psychological Distress (CCPD), developing and validating a brief screening tool to assess it, estimating its prevalence in two large, demographically diverse U.S. samples, and designing and pilot-testing an intervention to reduce CCPD. In Study 1, I adapted and modified widely used mental health screening tools (PHQ-4 and its subscales) to capture climate-specific psychological distress, resulting in the development of the Climate PHQ-4. Psychometric analysis of the scale suggests it has structural validity, functions consistently across age and racial groups, and has strong construct validity. Prevalence estimates from two surveys (n = 2,006) indicate that 70.6% of respondents fell within the normal range, while 15.8% experienced mild, 9.3% moderate, and 4.3% severe CCPD. Additionally, 16.9% and 14.1% reported potentially clinically significant levels of climate-related anxiety and depression, respectively. Higher levels of CCPD were particularly evident among younger people, Hispanic and Black Americans, those with less than a high school education, Democrats, and people categorized as Alarmed or Concerned in the Global Warming’s Six Americas segmentation. In Study 2, I developed and pilot-tested a text message-based intervention designed to reduce CCPD and promote well-being and pro-climate behaviors among people likely to be experiencing CCPD. Participants (n = 170) were recruited in partnership with climate advocacy organizations, and the intervention was evaluated using a randomized controlled trial with a waitlist control design. Over the course of one month, participants received two messages per week, with each week’s messages grounded in a different evidence-based construct—hope, self-efficacy, social norms, or response efficacy. Results indicate that the intervention was moderately effective in reducing CCPD, though it did not significantly improve well-being or increase pro-climate actions. Unexpectedly, individual pro-environmental behaviors—such as turning off unused electronics, walking or biking instead of driving—declined. Qualitative evidence also suggests that many participants found the intervention encouraging, supportive, and helpful in fostering a sense of solidarity and connection. These findings highlight the potential of text messaging as a low-cost, scalable strategy to support those experiencing climate-related psychological distress. In sum, this dissertation advances the measurement of CCPD and contributes to the development of accessible, evidence-based approaches to support those experiencing the psychological toll of climate change."],"dc:identifier":["hdl:1920/14728"],"dc:subject":["Climate & Mental Health","Climate & Mental Health Interventions","Climate Change Psychological Distress"],"dc:title":["Assessing and Mitigating Climate Change Psychological Distress: Scale Development and Pilot Intervention"],"dc:type":["Dissertation"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:51:48Z"}