Understanding climate distress in children and young people: Identification, conceptualisation and intervention

Randall, Sophie 2026. Understanding climate distress in children and young people: Identification, conceptualisation and intervention. ClinPsy Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

In recent years, as climate change has increased in severity so too has the distress that it causes, often referred to as ‘climate distress’. Though children and young people are known to be particularly susceptible to climate distress, there is little research investigating the potential interventions to support them, and no systematic reviews have been published to bring this evidence together. Therefore, this systematic review sought to provide clarity to the topic through the identification, appraisal and synthesis of empirical evidence for climate distress interventions for children and young people. 244 papers were identified from six databases, with ten included in the final review: four qualitative, two quantitative, three mixed methods, and one randomised controlled trial. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool was utilised for quality appraisal, and methodological issues were identified in eight papers with many lacking clear theoretical grounding. Through integrated narrative synthesis, three interventions were identified as having significantly reduced climate distress and a further three showed improved well-being more broadly. Many papers reported mixed impacts, and effects on measures not extracted for this review. The review indicates that narrative-based approaches are most likely to be helpful for children and young people experiencing climate distress and highlights the importance of support alongside climate change education, though concludes that there is not enough evidence to make strong recommendations. The findings call for further research that ensures high methodological quality, identifies a clear theory of change, and includes and broad range of outcome measures.

Item Type:	Thesis (DClinPsy)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Schools > Psychology
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Climate distress, eco-anxiety, climate change, children, adolescents, narrative synthesis
Funders:	N/A
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	27 July 2026
Last Modified:	27 Jul 2026 08:20
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/188446

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