Climate anxiety and depressive symptoms among undergraduate students of a college in a higher education institution in Manila, Philippines.

Kent Tristan L ESTEBAN; Paolo Miguel L CHAVES; Venus Maria B MILAN; Erylla Beatrish M OAMIL; Patricia B OCAMPO; Crystal Amiel M ESTRADA; Ernesto R GREGORIO JR

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Climate anxiety and depressive symptoms among undergraduate students of a college in a higher education institution in Manila, Philippines.

Author: Kent Tristan L. ESTEBAN ¹ ; Paolo Miguel L. CHAVES ¹ ; Venus Maria B. MILAN ¹ ; Erylla Beatrish M. OAMIL ¹ ; Patricia B. OCAMPO ¹ ; Crystal Amiel M. ESTRADA ² ; Ernesto R. GREGORIO JR. ³
Author Information

1. College of Public Health, University of the Philippines Manila, Metro Manila, NCR, Philippines
2. Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, College of Public Health, University of the Philippines Manila, Metro Manila, NCR, Philippines
3. Department of Health Promotion and Education, College of Public Health, University of the Philippines Manila, Metro Manila, NCR, Philippines
Publication Type:Journal Article, Original
MeSH: Human; Climate Anxiety; Depressive Symptoms; Depression; Mental Health
From: Acta Medica Philippina 2025;59(Early Access 2025):1-8
CountryPhilippines
Abstract: BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Climate anxiety is an emerging concept defined as increased anxiety about climate change and has been linked to negative mental health outcomes. As a relatively new concept, only a few have characterized it and its relationship with mental health, especially in the Global South populations. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between climate anxiety and depressive symptoms among undergraduate students from a college in a higher education institution in Manila, Philippines. Specifically, it aimed to (1) determine the proportion of undergraduate students who reported high levels of climate anxiety and depressive symptoms; and (2) determine the association between climate anxiety and depressive symptoms.
METHODS
Using a cross-sectional design and a convenience sampling method, the investigators collected data through an online survey to assess levels of climate anxiety and depressive symptoms using the Climate Change Anxiety Scale (CCAS) and the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9), respectively. Data was analyzed using multiple logistic regression.
RESULTS
Among the 148 respondents (N=325), 14.86% had high climate anxiety (i.e., CCAS score >= 3) and 62.84% had high depressive symptoms (i.e., PHQ-9 score >= 10). Regression analysis showed that the odds of those having high climate anxiety reporting high depressive symptoms are higher than those with low climate anxiety, though this is not significant (OR = 2.53, p=0.144).
CONCLUSION
The study verifies the existence of climate anxiety among undergraduate students and reflects an alarming mental health situation in the selected college. It is recommended that wide-scope investigations on the current state of climate anxiety and mental health among the youth be done to verify their impacts, along with inter-sectoral efforts such as increasing awareness through health education interventions to improve the youths’ mental health literacy and resilience to the effects of climate change, and promoting climate change-responsive mental health services to address these as pressing threats to youth health.