Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-mwx4w Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-19T14:34:10.943Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 8 - Cognitive Behavioral Principles for Conceptualizing Young People’s Eco-Emotions and Eco-Distress

from Part I - Conceptual Foundations of Climate Distress in Young People

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  aN Invalid Date NaN

By
Elizabeth Marks  and
Kelsey Hudson
Edited by
Elizabeth Haase  and
Kelsey Hudson
Elizabeth Haase
Affiliation:
University of Nevada, Reno
Kelsey Hudson
Affiliation:
Climate Psychology Alliance North America
Get access

Summary

Young people’s ecologically related thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and physical sensations arise alongside a multitude of factors in their internal and external environments. This can be complex to understand and organize in therapeutic settings. Cognitive behavioral frameworks can be useful for understanding distress in young people and can encourage cognitive, emotional, and behavioral flexibility in their responses. This chapter provides an approach to eco-related psychological distress based on cognitive behavioral theory that can be used across a range of presentations. An overview of cognitive behavioral theory is provided, with an explanation about how it can provide insight into what can exacerbate and ameliorate unhelpful levels of eco-distress. Two examples of case conceptualizations are offered – one showing impairing eco-distress and one showing constructive eco-distress. The strengths and limitations of cognitive behavioral case conceptualizations are discussed.

Keywords

eco-distresscognitive behavioral theoryyouthcase conceptualizationsclimate change
Type
Chapter
Information
Climate Change and Youth Mental Health
Multidisciplinary Perspectives
 , pp. 148 - 167
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

American Psychiatric Association (2013). Cultural formulation interview (CFI). In Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). APA.Google Scholar
Bandura, A., & Cherry, L. (2019). Enlisting the power of youth for climate change. American Psychologist, 75(7), 945–951. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000512CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Berman, S. L., Weems, C. F., & Stickle, T. R. (2006). Existential anxiety in adolescents: Prevalence, structure, association with psychological symptoms and identity development. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 35(3), 285–292. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-006-9032-yCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blakemore, S. J., & Choudhury, S. (2006). Development of the adolescent brain: Implications for executive function and social cognition. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 47(3–4), 296–312. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2006.01611.x.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Burnham, J. (1992). Approach–method–technique: Making distinctions and creating connections. Human Systems, 3(1), 3–27.Google Scholar
Burnham, J. (1993). Systemic supervision: The evolution of reflexivity in the context of the supervisory relationship. Human Systems, 4(3), 349–381.Google Scholar
Burnham, J. (2012). Developments in Social GRRRAAACCEEESSS: Visible-invisible and voiced-unvoiced. In Krause, I. B. (Ed.), Culture and reflexivity in systemic psychotherapy: Mutual perspectives (pp. 139–160). Karnac Books.Google Scholar
Castaños-Cervantes, S. (2019). Brief CBT group therapy for Mexican homeless girls. The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, 12. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1754470X18000272CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cisler, J. M., & Koster, E. H. (2010). Mechanisms of attentional biases towards threat in anxiety disorders: An integrative review. Clinical Psychology Review, 30(2), 203–216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2009.11.003CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Coffey, Y., Bhullar, N., Durkin, J., Islam, M. S., & Usher, K. (2021). Understanding eco-anxiety: A systematic scoping review of current literature and identified knowledge gaps. Journal of Climate Change and Health, 3, 100047. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joclim.2021.100047CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Compas, B. E., Jaser, S. S., Bettis, A. H., Watson, K. H., Gruhn, M. A., Dunbar, J. P., Williams, E., & Thigpen, J. C. (2017). Coping, emotion regulation, and psychopathology in childhood and adolescence: A meta-analysis and narrative review. Psychological Bulletin, 143(9), 939–991. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000110CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Crandon, T. J., Scott, J. G., Charlson, F. J., & Thomas, H. J. (2022). A social–ecological perspective on climate anxiety in children and adolescents. Nature Climate Change, 12(2), 123–131. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-021-01251-yCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Daniels, J., & Loades, M. E. (2017). A novel approach to treating CFS and co‐morbid health anxiety: A case study. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 24(3), 727–736. doi:10.1002/cpp.2042.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dobson, K. S., & Dozois, D. J. (2021). Handbook of cognitive-behavioral therapies. Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Doherty, T. J., Lykins, A. D., Piotrowski, N. A., Rogers, Z., Sebree Jr., D. D., & White, K. E. (2022). Clinical psychology responses to the climate crisis. In Asmundson, G. J. G. (Ed.), Comprehensive clinical psychology (2nd ed., vol. 11, pp. 167–183). Elsevier. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-818697-8.00236-3.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dozois, D. J. A., & Beck, A. T. (2008). Cognitive schemas, beliefs and assumptions. In Dobson, K. S. & Dozois, D. J. A. (Eds.), Risk factors in depression (pp. 121–143). Elsevier Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-045078-0.00006-XGoogle Scholar
Dummett, N. (2010). Cognitive–behavioural therapy with children, young people and families: From individual to systemic therapy. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 16(1), 23–36. doi:10.1192/APT.BP.107.004259CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ehrenreich-May, J. (2018). Unified protocol for transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorders in adolescents: Workbook. Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Ellis, A. (1991). The revised ABC’s of rational-emotive therapy (RET). Journal of Rational-emotive and Cognitive-behavior Therapy, 9(3), 139–172.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fenley, A. R., Sanchez, A., Pincus, D. B., Hudson, K., Farley, A., & Merson, R. (2022). What to do when worries ring true: How CBT clinicians can address realistic worries among youth with anxiety during our challenging times [Clinical round table]. Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Convention, New York, November 17–20. www.abct.org/2022-convention/Google Scholar
Folkman, S. (2008). The case for positive emotions in the stress process. Anxiety, Stress, and Coping, 21(1), 3–14. doi.org/10.1080/10615800701740457CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ford, B. Q., Lam, P., John, O. P., & Mauss, I. B. (2018). The psychological health benefits of accepting negative emotions and thoughts: Laboratory, diary, and longitudinal evidence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 115(6), 1075. doi:10.1037/pspp0000157CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Haig-Ferguson, A., Cooper, K., Cartwright, E., Loades, M. E., & Daniels, J. (2021). Practitioner review: Health anxiety in children and young people in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 49(2), 129–143. doi:10.1017/S1352465820000636CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hays, P. A. (2016). Addressing cultural complexities in practice: Assessment, diagnosis, and therapy (3rd ed.). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/14801-000CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hickman, C. (2020). We need to (find a way to) talk about … eco-anxiety. Journal of Social Work Practice, 34(4), 411–424. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650533.2020.1844166CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hickman, C., Marks, E., Pihkala, P., Clayton, S., Lewandowski, R. E., Mayall, E. E., … van Susteren, L. (2021). Climate anxiety in children and young people and their beliefs about government responses to climate change: A global survey. The Lancet Planetary Health, 5(12), e863–e873. doi:10.1016/S2542-5196(21)00278-3CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hogg, T. L., Stanley, S. K., O’Brien, L. V., Wilson, M. S., & Watsford, C. R. (2021). The Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale: Development and validation of a multidimensional scale. Global Environmental Change, 71, 102391. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2021.102391CrossRefGoogle Scholar
King, D., & Said, G. (2019). Working with unaccompanied asylum-seeking young people: Cultural considerations and acceptability of a cognitive behavioural group approach. The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, 12, E11. doi:10.1017/S1754470X18000260CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kuyken, W., Padesky, C. A., & Dudley, R. (2009). Collaborative case conceptualization. Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Lenton, T. M., Benson, S., Smith, T., Ewer, T., Lanel, V., Petykowski, E., … Sharpe, S. (2022). Operationalising positive tipping points towards global sustainability. Global Sustainability, 5, E1. doi:10.1017/sus.2021.30CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mansell, W., Harvey, A., Watkins, E. D., & Shafran, R. (2009). Conceptual foundations of the transdiagnostic approach to CBT. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 23(1), 6–19. https://doi.org/10.1891/0889-8391.23.1.6CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moorey, S. (1996). When bad things happen to rational people: Cognitive therapy in adverse life circumstances. Frontiers of Cognitive Therapy, 450–469.Google Scholar
Naeem, F. (2019). Cultural adaptations of CBT: A summary and discussion of the Special Issue on Cultural Adaptation of CBT. The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, 12, E40. doi:10.1017/S1754470X19000278CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ojala, M. (2012). How do children cope with global climate change? Coping strategies, engagement, and well-being. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 32(3), 225–233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2012.02.004CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ojala, M. (2015). Hope in the face of climate change: Associations with environmental engagement and student perceptions of teachers’ emotion communication style and future orientation. Journal of Environmental Education, 46(3), 133–148. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2015.1021662CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Persons, J. B. (2022). Case formulation. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 29(3), 537–540. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2022.02.014CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pihkala, P. (2020). Eco-anxiety and environmental education. Sustainability, 12, 10149. doi:10.3390/su122310149CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pihkala, P. (2022). Eco-anxiety and pastoral care: Theoretical considerations and practical suggestions. Religions, 13(3), 192. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13030192CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rathod, S., Phiri, P., & Naeem, F. (2019). An evidence-based framework to culturally adapt cognitive behaviour therapy. The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, 12, E10. doi:10.1017/S1754470X18000247CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roper-Hall, A. (1998). Working systemically with older people and their families who have come to grief. In Sutcliffe, P., Tufnell, G., & Cornish, U. (Eds.), Working with the dying and bereaved: Systemic approaches to therapeutic work (pp. 177–206). Macmillan.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sperry, L. (2022). Highly effective therapy: Developing essential clinical competencies in counseling and psychotherapy. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203869963CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stanley, S. K., Hogg, T. L., Leviston, Z., & Walker, I. (2021). From anger to action: Differential impacts of eco-anxiety, eco-depression, and eco-anger on climate action and wellbeing. Journal of Climate Change and Health, 1, 100003. doi:10.1016/J.JOCLIM.2021.100003CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Verplanken, B., Marks, E., & Dobromir, A. I. (2020). On the nature of eco-anxiety: How constructive or unconstructive is habitual worry about global warming? Journal of Environmental Psychology, 72, 101528. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2020.101528CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Verplanken, B., & Roy, D. (2013). “My worries are rational, climate change is not”: Habitual ecological worrying is an adaptive response. PLoS ONE, 8(9). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0074708CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Watkins, E. R. (2008). Constructive and unconstructive repetitive thought. Psychological Bulletin, 134(2), 163. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.134.2.163CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zevallos Labarthe, I. & Marks, E. (2024) “The complete opposite of what you morally believe”: (In)action on climate change by State authorities and powerful bodies drives moral injury and eco-distress in UK young people. The Cognitive Behavioural Therapist (in press)Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×