• search hit 1 of 1
Back to Result List

Anxiety in response to the climate and environmental crises: validation of the Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale in Germany

  • Background As the climate and environmental crises unfold, eco-anxiety, defined as anxiety about the crises’ devastating consequences for life on earth, affects mental health worldwide. Despite its importance, research on eco-anxiety is currently limited by a lack of validated assessment instruments available in different languages. Recently, Hogg and colleagues proposed a multidimensional approach to assess eco-anxiety. Here, we aim to translate the original English Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale (HEAS) into German and to assess its reliability and validity in a German sample. Methods Following the TRAPD (translation, review, adjudication, pre-test, documentation) approach, we translated the original English scale into German. In total, 486 participants completed the German HEAS. We used Bayesian confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to assess whether the four-factorial model of the original English version could be replicated in the German sample. Furthermore, associations with a variety of emotional reactions towards the climate crisis, general depression, anxiety, and stress were investigated. Results The German HEAS was internally consistent (Cronbach’s alphas 0.71–0.86) and the Bayesian CFA showed that model fit was best for the four-factorial model, comparable to the factorial structure of the original English scale (affective symptoms, rumination, behavioral symptoms, anxiety about personal impact). Weak to moderate associations were found with negative emotional reactions towards the climate crisis and with general depression, anxiety, and stress. Discussion Our results support the original four-factorial model of the scale and indicate that the German HEAS is a reliable and valid scale to assess eco-anxiety in German speaking populations.

Download full text files

Export metadata

Additional Services

Share in Twitter Search Google Scholar       frontdoor_oas    
Metadaten
Author:Stephan Heinzel, Mira Tschorn, Michael Schulte-Hutner, Fabian Schäfer, Gerhard Reese, Carina Pohle, Felix Peter, Michael Neuber, Shuyan Liu, Jan Keller, Michael Eichinger, Myriam Bechtoldt
URN:urn:nbn:de:hebis:ds114-opus4-4052
DOI:https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1239425
ISSN:1664-1078
Parent Title (English):Frontiers in Psychology
Publisher:Frontiers Media S.A.
Document Type:Article
Language:English
Year of Completion:2023
Publishing Institution:Hochschule Darmstadt
Release Date:2023/10/11
Tag:Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale; climate anxiety; climate change; climate crisis; eco-anxiety; environmental crisis
GND Keyword:-
Volume:14
Page Number:9
Note:
Originalveröffentlichung: 
Heinzel S, Tschorn M, Schulte-Hutner M, Schäfer F, Reese G, Pohle C, Peter F, Neuber M, Liu S, Keller J, Eichinger M and Bechtoldt M (2023) Anxiety in response to the climate and environmental crises: validation of the Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale in Germany. Front. Psychol. 14:1239425. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1239425
OpenAIRE:OpenAIRE
Licence (German):License LogoCreative Commons - CC BY - Namensnennung 4.0 International