Balundė, Audra

Growing research highlights significant yet complex links between eco-anxiety and pro-environmental behaviour (PEB). It remains unclear to what extent this relationship is shaped by additional factors, and longitudinal investigations are particularly needed to capture the dynamic interplay between the constructs. This study examines how eco-anxiety relates to PEB in young adults over time, focusing on the roles of hope and coping. The study employs a longitudinal two-wave design. A convenience sample of 560 participants was collected for the first wave of the study. After excluding data due to several reasons, the final sample comprised 455 adults aged 18 to 35 years (M = 22.47; SD = 4.40), with 71.5% female. The participants who agreed to be further contacted will be invited to participate in the second wave of the study at the beginning of 2026. Items from the Climate Change Anxiety Scale (Clayton & Karazsia, 2020), the Coping Strategies instrument (Ojala, 2012; Ojala & Bengtsson, 2019), and the Hope Index (Sangervo et al., 2022) are used, together with questions about environmentally friendly consumption. The structural equation modelling framework will be applied to data analysis. Drawing on prior findings and theories such as the transactional model of stress and coping, we expect robust longitudinal links between eco-anxiety and PEB, with hope and coping playing significant explanatory roles. Anxiety is anticipated to predict the behaviour over time, while coping strategies and hope may uniquely mediate/moderate this relationship. Clarifying these mechanisms is crucial for designing interventions that foster adaptive responses to environmental crises.

Major life transitions of today’s emerging adults unfold alongside unprecedented global events, such as environmental crises. Eco-anxiety is reported to compromise mental health of youth and may be linked to a range of behavioral responses to environmental problems. Resilience and perceived dynamic social norms may serve as protective factors. Therefore, in Study 1, cluster analysis was conducted in an emerging adult subsample ( N = 373; M age = 22.40, SD = 3.79) drawn from a representative survey of Lithuanian adults, identifying four profiles characterized by configurations of eco-anxiety, resilience, dynamic social norms, and environmentally-responsible consumption (everyday- and activism-oriented). These profiles were replicated in Lithuania in Study 2 using an independent convenience sample of emerging adults ( N = 423; M age = 21.16, SD = 2.50). Across both studies, profiles included Mobilized Distressed , Adaptive Engaged , Resilient Reserved , and Disengaged . Findings highlight the need for tailored support approaches for emerging adults navigating environmental distress.

Šiame tyrime nagrinėjamas ekologinis nerimas kaip psichologinė reakcija į pasaulinę ekologinę krizę, ypatingą dėmesį skiriant jo paplitimui ir susijusiems veiksniams Lietuvoje. Nors tarptautiniai tyrimai rodo, kad ekologinis nerimas gali turėti įtakos psichinei sveikatai ir kasdieniam gyvenimui, tai yra pirmasis sistemingas tyrimas, atliktas remiantis reprezentaty-via 18–90 metų amžiaus 2136 Lietuvos gyventojų apklausa. Jame analizuojamas ekologinio nerimo ryšys su asmeniniais (pvz., emocijomis, atsparumu, suvokiama rizika), tarpasmeni-niais (pvz., socialine parama, komunikacija) ir sociodemografiniais (pvz., amžiumi, lytimi, išsilavinimu, finansine padėtimi) veiksniais, taip pat su aplinkai palankiu elgesiu. Rezultatai rodo, kad tarpasmeniniai veiksniai stipriausiai susiję su baime, po jos eina kitos neigiamos emocijos, pavyzdžiui, liūdesys ir pyktis. Asmenys, patiriantys didesnį ekologinį nerimą, taip pat nurodo daugiau depresijos simptomų ir aplinkos riziką vertina kaip didesnę. Asmenys, pasižymintys didesniu atsparumu, patiria mažiau ekologinio nerimo. Dažni pokalbiai apie ekologinę krizę yra stipriai susiję su didesniu ekologiniu nerimu. Socialinės normos – tikė-jimas, kad kiti vis dažniau elgiasi aplinkai draugiškai – labiau paplitusios didesnio nerimo grupėje, nors ryšys tarp šių veiksnių nėra reikšmingas. Didelį ekologinį nerimą patiriantys asmenys taip pat paprastai jaučia mažesnį socialinį palaikymą, palyginti su žemesnio ne-rimo lygio grupėmis. Socialiniai ir demografiniai veiksniai, tokie kaip lytis, amžius ir vaikų turėjimas, tarp skirtingų ekologinio nerimo lygių skiriasi mažai. Tačiau išsiskiria subjektyvi finansinė padėtis: asmenys, kurie jaučiasi finansiškai nesaugūs, yra labiau linkę į didelį eko-loginį nerimą, nors objektyvūs pajamų lygiai labai nesiskiria. Išsilavinimas rodo netikėtą ten-denciją: žemesnis išsilavinimo lygis yra dažnesnis didelio nerimo grupėje, nors šis ryšys nėra statistiškai reikšmingas. Kasdienis aplinkai draugiškas elgesys (pvz., vandens ar energijos tau-pymas) visose grupėse yra gan panašus, tačiau aktyvesnės įsitraukimo formos (pvz., kitų ska-tinimas imtis veiksmų) didėjant ekologiniam nerimui stiprėja. Tai rodo, kad didesnis nerimas gali motyvuoti imtis aktyvesnių aplinkosaugos veiksmų. Be to, asmenys, patiriantys didesnį nerimą, dažniau nurodo sumažėjusį norą turėti vaikų dėl susirūpinimo dėl ateities. Jie taip pat dažniau mano, kad pasaulinės krizės, pvz., karai, didina jų motyvaciją saugoti aplinką.

MRU Aplinkos psichologijos tyrimų centro vadovė dr. Audra Balundė ir MRU Edukologijos ir socialinio darbo instituto profesorė dr. Brigita Kairienė laidoje „Paaugliai ateina rasti gyvenimą" diskutuoja apie paauglių moralinius ir tapatumo veiksnius. Kaip paauglių asmeninės normos, vertybės ir panašūs veiksniai šiame raidos tarpsnyje veikia jų elgesį? Kokį vaidmenį atlieka jų draugai ir (ne)dalyvaujantys paauglių gyvenime suaugusieji? Kur šiems jaunuoliams, patiriantiems vidines ir išorines krizes, rasti užuovėją? Kokia neformalaus švietimo reikšmė šiame kontekste?

Engaging youth in climate change activism is crucial, particularly in countries where such activism is uncommon. Formal environmental education may play a key role in fostering this engagement. This study evaluated the impact of an educational intervention designed to stimulate general discussion on various contributors to climate change and assess its influence on adolescents’ support for climate activism. The intervention was conducted in four high schools across three administrative regions in Lithuania from October to December 2022, involving 245 adolescents (59.6% female; M = 14.84, SD = 1.29). It included a pre-test, four weekly classes held during regular school hours, a post-test, and a follow-up measurement. Results showed that the intervention increased adolescents’ interest in climate change activism and their self-reported willingness to participate in climate change protests. However, while there was a rise in interest in activism, support for specific activist activities and climate change protests did not significantly change. The analysis also indicated modest effects of gender and school on outcomes. Overall, these findings suggest that environmental education focusing on general topics can enhance some aspects of youth interest in climate activism, though the effects are relatively small.

Background Since eco-anxiety has been linked to various mental health, well-being, and environmental conservation indicators, this study aims to further explore the prevalence of eco-anxiety and its links to mental health indicators, overall well-being, and environmentally responsible consumption Methods A nationally representative sample of 2,136 Lithuanians provided self-reported data on symptoms of eco-anxiety, depression, and general anxiety as well as on life satisfaction and environmentally responsible consumption. The prevalence of eco-anxiety symptoms was estimated based on mean score: no eco-anxiety symptoms group (M = 1), mild/medium eco-anxiety symptoms group (1.25 ≤ M ≥ 3), and high eco-anxiety symptoms group (3.25 ≤ M ≥ 5) Results In the general sample, 1.4% of respondents scored in the high range on eco-anxiety symptoms. We found no significant differences in the prevalence of eco-anxiety symptoms by gender, age, education, income, or relationship status. Higher eco-anxiety scores were associated with higher scores on depression and general anxiety symptoms. However, eco-anxiety symptoms were not related to life satisfaction. We found no significant relationship between eco-anxiety symptoms and regular consumption, whereas eco-anxiety symptoms were positively related to activism-oriented consumption Conclusion This study helps to address the underrepresentation of the Baltic region in eco-anxiety research. It adds to the growing evidence that eco-anxiety symptoms are prevalent among adult population and are negatively associated with mental health symptoms and positively associated with activism-oriented consumption.