PREDICTORS OF CLIMATE ANXIETY: AN INTEGRATIVE FRAMEWORK

Climate anxiety is an emerging psychological phenomenon reflecting the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral responses of individuals to the climate crisis. It is characterized by a persistent fear of environmental catastrophe amid an increasingly uncertain global environment. Adopting an integrative review approach, this review proposes a theory-oriented integrative framework synthesizing key predictors of climate anxiety, drawing on insights from psychology, sociology, media studies, and environmental sciences. Major predictors include demographic factors (age, gender, education), psychological factors (generalized anxiety disorder, risk perception, environmental identity), social factors (knowledge about climate change, media exposure), and experiences with extreme natural disasters. By conceptually integrating empirical findings across disciplines, organizing these predictors into a coherent framework enhances understanding of the multifactorial and interacting mechanisms that shape climate-related distress. Rather than aiming for exhaustive study inclusion or quantitative aggregation, this integrative perspective informs the design of educational programs, public health initiatives, and policies that acknowledge climate-related distress while promoting adaptive coping and constructive engagement. Overall, the review clarifies the conceptual pathways underlying climate anxiety and provides a foundation for future theory-driven and empirical research, contributing to both theoretical development and applied practice in addressing the psychological impacts of climate change.