Psychological resilience as a buffer against climate change anxiety in Iraqi youth

BACKGROUND: Iraq is classified as the fifth most vulnerable country to the impacts of climate change, with a predominantly young population. While climate change anxiety is globally recognized, little is known about its impact on Iraq. Understanding its effect is important for nursing professionals, who promote youth mental health. This study aims to assess the correlations between climate change anxiety and psychological resilience among Iraqi youth. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional correlational design with purposive sampling was employed using an online form. The study recruited 524 individuals living across 18 Iraqi governorates. The Arabic Versions of Climate Change Anxiety Scale and the Brief Resilience Scale were used to collect data between January 1 to February 20, 2025. Single-variable analysis used frequency and percentage to characterize categorical data, while mean and standard deviation were utilized for numerical data. Spearman’s rank test was used to assess the relationship between climate change anxiety and psychological resilience. RESULTS: Climate anxiety levels were found to be low in 73.8% of the participants, moderate in 24.1%, and high in 2.1%. In addition, 86.5% had a moderate level of psychological resilience. There was a statistically significant negative relationship between climate anxiety and psychological resilience ( P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Nearly a quarter of Iraqi youth reported moderate climate anxiety. The negative relationship between climate anxiety and resilience highlights the importance of nursing-facilitated mental health interventions that target resilience to counter the climate change-related mental distress.