Climate Anxiety in a Young Population at Risk of Suicide

The Anx-RS France study investigates the association between climate change-related anxiety (eco-anxiety) and suicidal ideation among young people aged 16 to 24 years in France. Growing evidence suggests that climate change may contribute to psychological distress and feelings of hopelessness in younger generations. However, data on the link between eco-anxiety and suicide risk in this age group remain limited.

This is an observational, cross-sectional study including 108 participants recruited from university settings and the general population in France. Eligible participants are aged 16-24 years, fluent in French, and provide informed consent (parental consent is obtained for minors). Participants will be excluded if they have a health condition that prevents them from understanding or completing the study questionnaires. This includes major sensory impairments (e.g., deafness, blindness), severe psychiatric disorders affecting cognition or communication (e.g., acute psychosis, pervasive developmental disorder, confusional state), or current hospitalization in specialized psychiatric units for severe mental illness.

Participants complete a self-administered online survey composed of three validated instruments:

• Climate Change Anxiety Scale (CCAS) - measuring anxiety, rumination, and functional impairment related to climate change.
• State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-T/Y) - assessing general trait anxiety levels.
• Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) - evaluating suicidal ideation and behavior.

Descriptive analyses will estimate the prevalence and intensity of climate-related anxiety. Correlational and multivariate analyses will assess the association between eco-anxiety (CCAS) and suicidal ideation (C-SSRS), adjusting for general anxiety levels (STAI-T/Y).

The results will improve understanding of how climate-related distress affects mental health and suicide risk among young people in France, and support prevention strategies and mental-health policy adaptation to emerging environmental stressors.

Inclusion criteria

• Men and women, boys and girls ;
• Aged between 16 and 24;
• Participants seen in adult or pediatric emergency departments, hospitalised in adult psychiatry or in child and adolescent psychiatry, or seen in outpatient consultation at Esquirol Hospital Center ;
• Affiliated with a social security scheme or entitled to coverage under one ;
• Having received full information about the study and having co-signed, together with the investigator, an informed consent form to participate in the study.
• For minor participants: the consent to participate in the study must be signed by the holder(s) of parental authority, and the minor's assent will also be required.

Exclusion criteria

• Participants will not be included in the study if their health condition is incompatible with understanding or completing the questionnaires used. This includes, in particular ;
• Any chronic somatic pathology or major sensory impairment (for example : deafness or blindness) preventing reading, comprehension or communication with healthcare professionals ;
• Any severe psychiatric pathology that significantly impairs cognitive or communication abilities, such as acute psychotic disorders, pervasive developmental disorders or confusional states ;
• Participants hospitalised in units specialising in severe psychiatric disorders with major impairment of cognitive functions.
• Adults under legal protection, in accordance with article L 1121-8 of the Public Health Code ;
• Insufficient command of the French language