Psychology Congress 2027

Climate anxiety has been linked to pro-environmental behavior; however, the psychological mechanisms underlying this association remain insufficiently understood, particularly within understudied populations. The present study investigated whether environmental self-efficacy—a domain-specific belief in one’s ability to take effective action—was statistically implicated in the relationship between climate anxiety and pro-environmental behavior among Indian young adults. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 228 participants aged 18–30 years. Participants completed measures assessing climate anxiety, environmental self-efficacy, and self-reported pro-environmental behavior. Indirect associations were examined using PROCESS Model 4, while controlling for gender and socioeconomic status, with 5,000 bootstrap samples. Climate anxiety showed positive associations with both environmental self-efficacy and pro-environmental behavior. Environmental self-efficacy was also positively related to pro-environmental behavior, and the bootstrapped indirect association was positive. Male participants reported higher levels of climate anxiety than female participants; however, neither gender nor socioeconomic status emerged as significant covariates in the path models. Overall, the findings suggest that environmental self-efficacy may represent one psychological pathway through which climate anxiety is associated with self-reported pro-environmental action. Nevertheless, the cross-sectional design and predominantly student-based sample limit causal interpretation and generalizability to the wider population. Future longitudinal research involving more diverse Indian populations is warranted to examine the directionality of these associations and identify relevant contextual factors.

Harshita Maharshi is a PhD researcher in Environmental Neuropsychology at Manipal University Jaipur, India. Her research focuses on the psychological and behavioral dimensions of environmental challenges, with particular interests in climate anxiety, pro-environmental behavior, and environmental self-efficacy. Her work aims to understand how environmental experiences influence psychological functioning and engagement with environmental action.