Climate Belief and Climate Anxiety among Financially Independent Adults in Pakistan: Financial Stress as a Mediator and Social Support as a Moderator

Abstract

Climate change is becoming a cause of psychological distress, but the pathways by which climate awareness shifts to climate-related anxiety are not well understood in economically marginalized and climate-vulnerable communities. For financially independent adults in Pakistan, economic justice is also met with environmental risks, a lack of recovery options, a lack of income, and family responsibilities. Hence, financial insecurity can lead to a heightened sense of concern about climate change and the buffering effects of social support are unclear. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between climate belief and climate anxiety, to test the association between climate belief, financial stress, and climate anxiety, to test financial stress as a mediator, and evaluate social support as a moderator. A quantitative, cross sectional, correlational design was used. A convenience sampling of 300 financially-capable adults in Chakwal and Jhelum districts completed the Climate Change Perceptual Awareness Scale (19 items), Climate Change Worry Scale (10 items), a 10 item financial stress measure, and a 12 item perceived social support measure. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, Pearson correlations, simple linear regression and Hayes process Models 4 and 1 with 5000 bootstrap samples in SPSS 26. There was a strong positive association between climate belief and climate anxiety, as well as a significant partial indirect effect between financial stress and climate anxiety. The strength of the relationship between climate belief and climate anxiety was not significantly affected by social support. The results suggest that the economic vulnerability is a significant pathway in which climate awareness turns into psychological stressors. The study emphasizes the importance of having adequate mental-health responses that incorporate emotional support, financial protection, disaster preparedness, and accurate communication of risks, including community services that are accessible and available, in climate vulnerable areas of Pakistan and other communities with limited resources and repeated environmental shocks.