Is Climate Change Awareness a Predictor of Anxiety Among Nursing Students?: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Determining the climate change anxiety and awareness of student nurses, who will provide health services in various parts of the world after the borders are removed, is important in combating climate change. Objectives: The study aims to assess whether nursing students' climate change awareness is a predictor of climate change anxiety. Design: This research adopts a descriptive cross-sectional study design. Participants: The population of the study consisted of a total of 562 students studying in the nursing department of a state university. 419 students were included in study. Methods: Data were gathered from 419 students enrolled in the nursing department of a university during the fall semester of 2022-2023, employing online questionnaires via Google Forms from January to March 2023. The research instrument comprised three parts: a Descriptive Information Form developed in line with the literature, the Global Climate Change Awareness Scale, and the Climate Change Anxiety Scale. SPSS 20.0 software was used for data analysis. The study obtained ethical committee approval, institutional permissions, and participant consent. Results: Findings indicated that nursing students' mean Global Climate Change Awareness Scale total score was 59.06 +/- 15.78, Climate Change Anxiety Scale total score was determined to be 21.27 +/- 8.75. A moderate positive relationship was identified between global climate change awareness and climate change anxiety levels among nursing students (r = 0.304, p < 0.05). Furthermore, the study revealed that the participants' awareness of global climate change served as a predictor for their anxiety levels. Conclusion: The climate change awareness of nursing students significantly influences their levels of anxiety related to climate change. Integrating climate change awareness into nursing education is quite important and necessary. This can empower future nurses to be more prepared and effective in a changing world.