The global climate crisis has become increasingly apparent in recent years, directly and indirectly affecting human physical and mental well-being. Among these impacts is climate anxiety - an emerging psychological phenomenon characterized by uncontrollable worry, fear and stress associated with perceptions about climate change through direct or indirect exposure (Clayton, 2020). It appears to be particularly prevalent among children and adolescents (Hickman et al., 2021), affecting their emotional well-being (Corner et al., 2015), while also impairing their ability to function in their everyday lives (Clayton & Karazsia, 2020).  

A potentially important factor associated with individuals' response to climate change are cognitive emotion regulation strategies (CER strategies; Garnefski & Kraaij, 2007), which refer to conscious mental strategies employed by individuals to cope with emotionally stimulating information. Previous  work suggests that exposure to situations that elicit negative emotions can lead to different outcomes depending on the CER strategies individuals employ. Acceptance, positive refocusing, refocusing on planning, putting into perspective, and positive reappraisal are adaptive strategies, associated with better mental health and well-being. In contrast, maladaptive strategies, such as self-blame, blaming others, rumination, and catastrophizing are linked to poorer mental health outcomes. Research has established a firm link between cognitive emotion regulation strategies and anxiety (Yao et al., 2023). Since CER strategies are considered as relatively stable styles of coping with negative life events (Garnefski & Kraaij, 2007), it is essential to investigate their relationship with climate anxiety as well.

Another key factor is psychological resilience, which refers to the ability to mentally and emotionally cope with or adapt to challenging life experiences (Norris et al., 2009). Previous research has demonstrated that psychological resilience serves as a buffer in the relationship between traumatic incidents, including climate change-related disasters, and stress (Poole et al., 2017). It may also protect against the development of mental health disorders, such as anxiety (Sheerin et al., 2018). Given the key importance of psychological resilience as a protective factor against traumatic effects, such as climate change-related disasters, research addressing the relationship between climate anxiety and psychological resilience is crucial.

Given the growing prevalence of climate-related distress and its' significant implications for the mental well-being of youth as well as the general population, research investigating the protective and risk factors is crucial for developing effective interventions. This systematic review synthesizes empirical evidence on the association between climate anxiety and two key factors that potentially play a role in it: cognitive emotion regulation strategies and psychological resilience.

In line with the theoretical background and the aims of this systematic review, we posed the following research questions:

RQ1: What is the relationship between different cognitive emotion regulation strategies and climate anxiety?

RQ2: What is the relationship between psychological resilience and climate anxiety?

The present study followed the guidelines for Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA; Moher et al., 2009). The protocol for the present systematic review was also prospectively registered at The International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews PROSPERO (ID: CRD42024574449). The search strategy included terms related to psychological resilience (i.e., resilience), cognitive emotion regulation strategies, as derived from the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionaire by Garnefski and Kraaij (2007; i.e., 'emotion regulation', 'cognitive regulation', 'cognitive emotion regulation', self-regulation, coping, 'stress management', strategies, self-blame, acceptance, rumination, 'positive refocusing', 'refocus on planning', 'positive reappraisal', 'putting into perspective', catastrophizing, 'blaming others'), and climate anxiety ('climate anxiety', 'climate change anxiety', 'climate worry', 'climate change worry', eco-anxiety, 'ecological anxiety'). Search terms were combined using Boolean's operators. A comprehensive search was conducted across major academic databases, including Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCOhost, ProQuest, and MEDLINE, as well as relevant preprint repositories. Additionally, citation tracking was employed to identify further eligible studies. Only studies in English were included in the search, whereas there were no limits regarding the publication year. The identified studies were screened according to predefined inclusion criteria, focusing on quantitative, observational research on climate anxiety and its relationship with cognitive emotion regulation strategies and psychological resilience. To evaluate the quality of the studies, two review authors independently assessed the quality of the included studies using the Survey studies in psychology checklist (Q-SSP; Protogerou & Hagger, 2020).

Final review includes 13 studies that met all eligibility criteria. Preliminary findings indicate that psychological resilience and its related constructs are significantly negatively associated with climate anxiety and could thus serve as protective factors against it. Maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies, such as rumination, are significantly positively associated with heightened climate anxiety, whereas adaptive strategies, such as positive reappraisal, are linked to lower distress levels. Studies, included in the review also show that youth, particularly university students, and women appear to be more vulnerable to climate anxiety. This review thus holds important implications for educators, policymakers, and mental health professionals, especially those working with youth populations. Given the increased vulnerability of young people and the general rise of climate-related distress, tailored interventions and preventive strategies are crucial to mitigating the adverse psychological effects of climate change anxiety. Within the educational context, promoting adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies and fostering psychological resilience could serve as essential components of mental health initiatives.

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