Relational Artificial Intelligence as a Developmental Exposure in Adolescence: A Precautionary Perspectives and Controversies Article.

Climate change represents one of the defining challenges of the twenty-first century, with wide-ranging consequences for ecosystems, human health, and social stability (). Beyond its direct physical impacts, climate change is increasingly recognized as a significant source of psychological distress (; ). A growing body of research has documented that many individuals, particularly young adults, experience persistent worry, rumination, and functional difficulties related to climate change (; ). These emotional responses have been collectively described under the umbrella of climate anxiety (also termed eco-anxiety), which refers to a spectrum of negative affective reactions to perceived threats posed by anthropogenic climate change (; ). Researchers have increasingly emphasized that climate anxiety is only one component of a broader spectrum of “eco-emotions,” which may include eco-guilt, eco-grief, anger, and feelings of helplessness (). Despite growing scientific and public attention to climate anxiety, important questions remain regarding its psychological structure and its relationship to behavioral outcomes. More specifically, whether and how climate anxiety translates into pro-environmental behavior (PEB) or action, or alternatively, into perceived helplessness and inhibition, has been the subject of considerable theoretical debate (; ). Some scholars believe that climate anxiety can serve an adaptive function, motivating individuals to engage in protective PEBs (; ). Others have argued that high levels of anxiety may produce cognitive and functional impairments that weaken effective engagement with the problem (; ). Resolving this tension requires an empirical examination of how specific dimensions of climate anxiety relate differentially to climate-relevant behavior. To address these questions, it is necessary to examine climate anxiety using measurement tools that capture its multidimensional structure. Critically, the targeted central contribution of the present work is not simply that climate anxiety, as a global construct, relates to behavior, but that climate anxiety should possibly be treated as a multidimensional construct whose distress-related dimensions (i.e., cognitive-emotional difficulties and functional impairment) and behavioral or motivational engagement dimension may relate notably differently to climate-relevant outcomes. Clarifying this distinction, rather than testing climate anxiety as a unitary construct, is the specific gap addressed by the present study. developed the first validated self-report instrument for assessing climate anxiety: the 22-item Climate Anxiety Scale (CAS). The CAS was designed to capture the multidimensional nature of the construct and was validated via exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses in U.S. samples, yielding a four-factor structure. The first factor, cognitive-emotional difficulties, includes rumination, nightmares, crying, and poor concentration in response to climate change (items 1–8). The second factor, functional impairment, captures the extent to which climate anxiety disrupts the person’s ability to engage in work, social interactions, and daily activities (items 9–13). The third factor, personal experience of climate change, reflects direct and indirect exposure to climate-related events (items 14–16). The fourth factor, behavioral engagement, reflects pro-environmental motivation and adaptive behavioral responses, including recycling, reducing energy use, and guilt about wasteful behavior (items 17–22).