기후 변화가 청소년 정신 건강에 미치는 영향이 주목받고 있다. '기후 불안(climate anxiety)'은 이상한 반응이 아니라 현실에 근거한 합리적 감정 반응이다. 그렇다면 기후 불안을 느끼는 청소년은 더 잘 대처할까, 아니면 더 힘들어할까?
호주 퀸즐랜드대학·QIMR 베르그호퍼 의학연구소 연구팀이 12~25세 청소년 741명(평균 18.5세)을 대상으로 기후 불안 대처 방식과 그 관련 요인을 분석했다.
기후 대처 척도(CCS)로 적응적 대처(의미 중심·감정 중심·문제 중심)와 부적응적 대처(조절 장애, 거리두기, 축소화)를 측정했다.
놀라운 결과가 나왔다. 기후 변화 정서적 증상을 경험하는 청소년은 의미 중심(β=.37), 감정 중심(β=.37), 문제 중심 대처(β=.64) 모두를 더 많이 사용했다. 반면 부적응적 대처—기후 변화를 거리두거나 축소하기(β=-.45, -.24)—는 오히려 줄었다. 조절 장애도 낮아졌다(β=-.77).
친환경 행동을 많이 하는 청소년도 적응적 대처를 더 잘 활용했다. 사회적 지지를 느끼는 청소년은 의미 중심·감정 중심 대처를 더 많이 사용했다.
연구팀은 "기후 불안 증상을 줄이는 데 집중하는 것보다, 감정 경험을 인정하고 적응적 대처를 강화하는 것이 더 효과적"이라고 결론 내렸다.
> 기후 변화에 불안을 느끼는 아이들의 감정을 무시하거나 차단하지 말자. 그 감정을 인정하고 공동체 활동, 친환경 실천, 또래 지지 등 능동적 대처로 연결해주는 것이 중요하다.
📖 *Climate change coping in young people (Chronic Stress 2026)* |
PubMedClimate anxiety is real, it is rational, and for many young people, it is growing. But does feeling distressed about climate change lead to paralysis and avoidance—or does it actually motivate adaptive responses? A study of 741 Australian young people provides a nuanced and somewhat reassuring answer.
Researchers from the University of Queensland and QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute surveyed 741 individuals aged 12–25 years (mean age 18.5) recruited via social media and panel sampling. Participants completed the Climate Coping Scale (CCS), which captures both adaptive coping strategies (meaning-focused, emotion-focused, and problem-focused) and maladaptive ones (impaired regulation, distancing from climate change, and de-emphasising its threats). Multiple hypothesized correlates were also measured.
The central finding inverts the assumption that climate anxiety inevitably leads to maladaptive outcomes. Young people who experienced affective symptoms of climate distress—the emotional weight of climate change—were more likely to engage in all three adaptive coping styles (β = .37, .37, and .64 for meaning-focused, emotion-focused, and problem-focused coping respectively). They were also less likely to de-emphasize the problem (β = -.24) or distance themselves from it (β = -.45), and less likely to experience impaired regulation (β = -.77).
Pro-environmental behavior was associated with greater use of adaptive coping and, interestingly, somewhat more de-emphasizing of climate threats—perhaps a cognitive tool to maintain motivation without overwhelm. Social support emerged as a significant protective factor, promoting both meaning-focused and emotion-focused coping.
The researchers recommend that interventions focus not on reducing emotional responses to climate change, but on validating those feelings and channeling them into adaptive action. Strengthening agency, autonomy, and social support networks—with careful attention to existing coping resources—should guide support programs.
> If a young person in your life is anxious about climate change, validate their feelings rather than dismissing them. Channel that concern into community involvement, sustainable action, and peer connection—the evidence suggests it builds resilience, not helplessness.
📖 *Climate change coping in young people (Chronic Stress 2026)* |
PubMed