Climate Change Awareness, Eco-Anxiety, and Anger among Yemeni Medical Students.
-
Asma Taha Ali Al-Taheri
,
Hebah Yassin Abduljabar Alsabiea
,
Tharwa Ghaleb Hassan Al-Barakani
,
Manal Ali Ahmed
,
Futoun Mohsen Alkhulagi
Abstract
Objective: Climate change is increasingly recognized as a global health threat. However, awareness and psychological responses to climate risks may vary across populations, particularly in conflict-affected regions. This study aimed to assess the levels of climate change awareness, climate anxiety, and aggression among Yemeni medical students.
Method: A descriptive cross-sectional design was utilized for this study. The sample included 212 final-year students from all departments within the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Taiz University. Data were collected using validated scales for climate change awareness, the Climate Anxiety Scale, and the Buss–Perry Aggression Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, group comparisons (t-tests and ANOVA), correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression were applied to identify significant relationships and predictors.
Results: More than 60% of the participants demonstrated poor awareness of climate change, and over 50% reported low levels of climate anxiety. Moderate aggression scores were observed in more than half of the respondents. While aggression showed significant associations with sex and climate anxiety, no statistically significant relationship was found between climate change awareness and anxiety.
Conclusion: Despite the environmental vulnerability of Yemen, medical students show limited awareness and low psychological response to climate change. This may reflect a focus on immediate survival needs in conflict-affected settings. Integrating climate-health education and psychological preparedness into medical curricula is essential to empower future healthcare providers in addressing climate-related health challenges.
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20. Abdu SMM, Gebreal A, Alsaleem SA, Aljohani MS, Abdel-Rahman S, Hussein MF, et al. Arabic validation and cross-cultural adaptation of climate anxiety scale. Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health. 2024;30:101835.
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22. Bouclaous C, El Safadi A, Basbous M, Haddad I, Mahdi A, Zibara V, et al. Prevalence of aggression in displaced syrian adolescents attending afternoon public schools in beirut. Journal of Refugee Studies. 2021;34(2):2406-20.
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25. Ryan EC, Dubrow R, Sherman JD. Medical, nursing, and physician assistant student knowledge and attitudes toward climate change, pollution, and resource conservation in health care. BMC Med Educ. 2020;20(1):200.
26. Niu L, Liu M, Fan L, E Y. The moderating effect of gender equality consciousness on environmental concern among males and females. Work. 2024;79(1):191-202.
27. Jones MK, Wootton BM, Vaccaro LD, Menzies RG. The impact of climate change on obsessive compulsive checking concerns. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2012;46(3):265-70.
28. Ifegbesan AP, Azeez RO, Mabekoje S. Do socio-demographic factors and sources of information relate to climate change awareness? Evidence from afrobarometer round 7 data. Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development. 2021;4(2):222-47.
29. Atta MHR, Zoromba MA, El-Gazar HE, Loutfy A, Elsheikh MA, El-Ayari OSM, et al. Climate anxiety, environmental attitude, and job engagement among nursing university colleagues: a multicenter descriptive study. BMC Nurs. 2024;23(1):133.
30. Di Giorgi E, Michielin P, Michielin D. Perception of climate change, loss of social capital and mental health in two groups of migrants from African countries. Ann Ist Super Sanita. 2020;56(2):150-6.
31. Sandberg L, Vidlin SH, L KP, Savage R, Raemaekers BC, Taavola-Gustafsson H, et al. Uncovering Pregnancy Exposures in Pharmacovigilance Case Report Databases: A Comprehensive Evaluation of the VigiBase Pregnancy Algorithm. Drug Saf. 2025.
32. Altaheri A, Alsbiea H, Al_Barakani T, Mohammed M, Alkhulagi F, TALEB FR. In a Fragile Environment: Climate Change Awareness, Eco-Anxiety, and Anger among Yemeni Medical Students. 2025.
33. Khosravi M, Mojtabaeian SM, Sarvestani MA. A Systematic Review on the Outcomes of Climate Change in the Middle-Eastern Countries: The Catastrophes of Yemen and Syria. Environ Health Insights. 2024;18:11786302241302270.
34. Global, regional, and national burden of stroke and its risk factors, 1990-2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. Lancet Neurol. 2024;23(10):973-1003.Available from: https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/yemen/publication/yemen-country-climate-and-development-report#:~:text=The%20Yemen%20Country%20Climate%20and,and%20%E2%80%9CEscalation%20and%20Intensification%E2%80%9D.
35. Watts N, Amann M, Arnell N, Ayeb-Karlsson S, Belesova K, Berry H, et al. The 2018 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: shaping the health of nations for centuries to come. Lancet. 2018;392(10163):2479-514.
36. Atta MHR, El-Sayed AAI, Taleb F, Elsayed SM, Al Shurafi SO, Altaheri A, et al. The Climate-Asthma Connection: Examining the Influence of Climate Change Anxiety on Asthma Control and Quality of Life: A Multi-National Study. J Adv Nurs. 2024.
37. Asal MGR, Alsenany SA, Mohammed MS, Elzohairy NW, El-Sayed AAI. Climate Anxiety and COPD: Unveiling Its Impact on Patients' Quality of Life Through a Multivariate Lens. J Clin Nurs. 2025.
38. Zacher H, Rudolph CW. Environmental knowledge is inversely associated with climate change anxiety. Climatic Change. 2023;176(4):32.
39. Çelik Eren D, Kabataş Yıldız M. Is climate change awareness a predictor of anxiety among nursing students?: A cross-sectional study. Nurse Educ Today. 2024;143:106390.
40. Daeninck C, Kioupi V, Vercammen A. Climate anxiety, coping strategies and planning for the future in environmental degree students in the UK. Front Psychol. 2023;14:1126031.
2. Nie P, Zhao K, Ma D, Liu H, Amin S, Yasin I. Global Climate Change, Mental Health, and Socio-Economic Stressors: Toward Sustainable Interventions across Regions. Sustainability. 2024;16(19):8693.
3. Walinski A, Sander J, Gerlinger G, Clemens V, Meyer-Lindenberg A, Heinz A. The Effects of Climate Change on Mental Health. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2023;120(8):117-24.
4. Fontalba-Navas A, Lucas-Borja ME, Gil-Aguilar V, Arrebola JP, Pena-Andreu JM, Perez J. Incidence and risk factors for post-traumatic stress disorder in a population affected by a severe flood. Public Health. 2017;144:96-102.
5. Schwaab L, Gebhardt N, Friederich HC, Nikendei C. Climate Change Related Depression, Anxiety and Stress Symptoms Perceived by Medical Students. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(15):9142.
6. Maran DA, Begotti T. Media Exposure to Climate Change, Anxiety, and Efficacy Beliefs in a Sample of Italian University Students. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(17):9358.
7. Marks E, Hickman C, Pihkala P, Clayton S, Lewandowski ER, Mayall EE, et al. Young people's voices on climate anxiety, government betrayal and moral injury: A global phenomenon. Government betrayal and moral injury: A global phenomenon. 2021.
8. United Nation. https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/09/1153991.
9. International Organization for Migration. Race against nature: Yemen’s fight against floods, windstorms and loss [Internet]. Geneva: IOM; 2024 [cited 2025 May 16]. Available from: https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/race-against-nature-yemens-fight-against-floods-windstorms-and-loss.
10. Center for Civilians in Conflict. Report: Yemen Faces Looming Environmental Battle in Midst of Conflict [Internet]. AMMAN; 2022 [cited 2025 May 16]. Available from: https://civiliansinconflict.org/press-releases/report-yemen-faces-looming-environmental-battle-in-midst-of-conflict/
11. Center for Civilians in Conflict. CIVIC Report Yemen Climate Crisis Protection of Civilians [Internet]. 2022 [cited 2025 May 10]. Available from: https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/risking-future-climate-change-environmental-destruction-and-conflict-yemen
12. Lawrance EL, Thompson R, Newberry Le Vay J, Page L, Jennings N. The impact of climate change on mental health and emotional wellbeing: a narrative review of current evidence, and its implications. International Review of Psychiatry. 2022;34(5):443-98.
13. Cianconi P, Hanife B, Grillo F, Betro S, Lesmana CBJ, Janiri L. Eco-emotions and Psychoterratic Syndromes: Reshaping Mental Health Assessment Under Climate Change. Yale J Biol Med. 2023;96(2):211-26.
14. Clayton S. Psychology and climate change. Current Biology. 2019;29(19):R992-R5.
15. Mirza AA, Baig M, Beyari GM, Halawani MA, Mirza AA. Depression and Anxiety Among Medical Students: A Brief Overview. Adv Med Educ Pract. 2021;12:393-8.
16. Bugaj TJ, Heilborn M, Terhoeven V, Kaisinger S, Nagy E, Friederich HC, et al. What do Final Year Medical Students in Germany know and think about Climate Change? - The ClimAttitude Study. Med Educ Online. 2021;26(1):1917037.
17. Heydari A, Partovi P, Zarezadeh Y, Yari A. Exploring medical students' perceptions and understanding of the health impacts of climate change: a qualitative content analysis. BMC Med Educ. 2023;23(1):774.
18. Tobler C, Visschers VH, Siegrist M. Consumers’ knowledge about climate change. Climatic change. 2012;114(2):189-209.
19. Clayton S, Karazsia BT. Development and validation of a measure of climate change anxiety. Journal of environmental psychology. 2020;69:101434.
20. Abdu SMM, Gebreal A, Alsaleem SA, Aljohani MS, Abdel-Rahman S, Hussein MF, et al. Arabic validation and cross-cultural adaptation of climate anxiety scale. Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health. 2024;30:101835.
21. Buss AH, Perry M. The aggression questionnaire. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1992;63(3):452-9.
22. Bouclaous C, El Safadi A, Basbous M, Haddad I, Mahdi A, Zibara V, et al. Prevalence of aggression in displaced syrian adolescents attending afternoon public schools in beirut. Journal of Refugee Studies. 2021;34(2):2406-20.
23. Maalouf E, Salameh P, Haddad C, Sacre H, Hallit S, Obeid S. Attachment styles and their association with aggression, hostility, and anger in Lebanese adolescents: a national study. BMC Psychol. 2022;10(1):104.
24. Prencipe L, Houweling TAJ, van Lenthe FJ, Kajula L, Palermo T. Climate distress, climate-sensitive risk factors, and mental health among Tanzanian youth: a cross-sectional study. Lancet Planet Health. 2023;7(11):e877-e87.
25. Ryan EC, Dubrow R, Sherman JD. Medical, nursing, and physician assistant student knowledge and attitudes toward climate change, pollution, and resource conservation in health care. BMC Med Educ. 2020;20(1):200.
26. Niu L, Liu M, Fan L, E Y. The moderating effect of gender equality consciousness on environmental concern among males and females. Work. 2024;79(1):191-202.
27. Jones MK, Wootton BM, Vaccaro LD, Menzies RG. The impact of climate change on obsessive compulsive checking concerns. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2012;46(3):265-70.
28. Ifegbesan AP, Azeez RO, Mabekoje S. Do socio-demographic factors and sources of information relate to climate change awareness? Evidence from afrobarometer round 7 data. Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development. 2021;4(2):222-47.
29. Atta MHR, Zoromba MA, El-Gazar HE, Loutfy A, Elsheikh MA, El-Ayari OSM, et al. Climate anxiety, environmental attitude, and job engagement among nursing university colleagues: a multicenter descriptive study. BMC Nurs. 2024;23(1):133.
30. Di Giorgi E, Michielin P, Michielin D. Perception of climate change, loss of social capital and mental health in two groups of migrants from African countries. Ann Ist Super Sanita. 2020;56(2):150-6.
31. Sandberg L, Vidlin SH, L KP, Savage R, Raemaekers BC, Taavola-Gustafsson H, et al. Uncovering Pregnancy Exposures in Pharmacovigilance Case Report Databases: A Comprehensive Evaluation of the VigiBase Pregnancy Algorithm. Drug Saf. 2025.
32. Altaheri A, Alsbiea H, Al_Barakani T, Mohammed M, Alkhulagi F, TALEB FR. In a Fragile Environment: Climate Change Awareness, Eco-Anxiety, and Anger among Yemeni Medical Students. 2025.
33. Khosravi M, Mojtabaeian SM, Sarvestani MA. A Systematic Review on the Outcomes of Climate Change in the Middle-Eastern Countries: The Catastrophes of Yemen and Syria. Environ Health Insights. 2024;18:11786302241302270.
34. Global, regional, and national burden of stroke and its risk factors, 1990-2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. Lancet Neurol. 2024;23(10):973-1003.Available from: https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/yemen/publication/yemen-country-climate-and-development-report#:~:text=The%20Yemen%20Country%20Climate%20and,and%20%E2%80%9CEscalation%20and%20Intensification%E2%80%9D.
35. Watts N, Amann M, Arnell N, Ayeb-Karlsson S, Belesova K, Berry H, et al. The 2018 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: shaping the health of nations for centuries to come. Lancet. 2018;392(10163):2479-514.
36. Atta MHR, El-Sayed AAI, Taleb F, Elsayed SM, Al Shurafi SO, Altaheri A, et al. The Climate-Asthma Connection: Examining the Influence of Climate Change Anxiety on Asthma Control and Quality of Life: A Multi-National Study. J Adv Nurs. 2024.
37. Asal MGR, Alsenany SA, Mohammed MS, Elzohairy NW, El-Sayed AAI. Climate Anxiety and COPD: Unveiling Its Impact on Patients' Quality of Life Through a Multivariate Lens. J Clin Nurs. 2025.
38. Zacher H, Rudolph CW. Environmental knowledge is inversely associated with climate change anxiety. Climatic Change. 2023;176(4):32.
39. Çelik Eren D, Kabataş Yıldız M. Is climate change awareness a predictor of anxiety among nursing students?: A cross-sectional study. Nurse Educ Today. 2024;143:106390.
40. Daeninck C, Kioupi V, Vercammen A. Climate anxiety, coping strategies and planning for the future in environmental degree students in the UK. Front Psychol. 2023;14:1126031.
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How to Cite
1.
Al-Taheri A, Alsabiea H, Al-Barakani T, Ahmed M, Alkhulagi F. Climate Change Awareness, Eco-Anxiety, and Anger among Yemeni Medical Students. Iran J Psychiatry. 2025;:1-11.
