Reducing Eco-anxiety Using Selfies

Reducing Eco-anxiety and Increasing Eco-action in Adolescents Using Selfie Videos: a Randomized Controlled Trial

The purposes of this study are to test among adolescent viewers the utility of selfie (TikTok) short video-based interventions to: Reduce ecological anxiety, Increase ecological agency, Compare two different types of messaging, and Examine the role of viewer's gender and race as independent factors on the outcomes of interest.

Intervention videos will each be TikTok self-recorded videos (of 58-second duration) featuring the same underage professional (ages 16) acting as simulated participant. Video 1 ("Negative") will focus on impending ecological catastrophic outcomes; Video 2 ("Positive") will focus on the actions that youth will be able to take in preventing such outcomes; and Video 3 ("Neutral") will include content unrelated to ecological concerns. We intend to assign ~1,000 individuals aged 14-18 in a randomized way, in equal proportions, and stratified by sex and race, to view one of the three TikTok videos: Positive, Negative, or Neutral. Assessments will occur at baseline and post-intervention, and will include: Demographics (baseline only), Primary outcome: a. Climate Change Anxiety scale (13 items) Secondary outcome: Climate Hope scale (11 items) Behavioral intentions (6 items; adapted from)29, Hopefulness and agency sliders (2 items), and Three words

~58-second selfie video (TikTok) of an adolescent presenting a "can do" / climate action / positive perspective on global warming

~58-second selfie video (TikTok) of an adolescent presenting an "it's already too late" / climate catastrophe / negative perspective on global warming

~58-second selfie video (TikTok) of an adolescent discussing a topic unrelated to climate change or global warming

Intervention videos will each be of 90-second duration and feature four underage professionals (ages 16) acting as simulated patients. All videos will focus on an empowered presenter with depression sharing their personal story regarding depression and describe how social supports from family, friends, and community, as well as professional help assisted them in overcoming symptoms of their illness. The actors will include a transgender male, a cis-gender male, a transgender female, and a cis-gender female.

The CCAS is the sum of 13 items (Clayton and Karazsia; Journal of Environmental Psychology, 2020). Each of the items is a statement on which participants are asked to rate their agreement on a 5-point Likert-type scale: from 1 ("Never") to 5 ("Almost always".) The range of the scale is from 13 to 65; higher scores indicate greater eco-axiety.

The CCHS is the sum of 11 items (Li and Moore; Environ Behav, 2018). Each of the items is a statement on which participants are asked to rate their agreement on a 5-point Likert-type scale: from 1 ("Not at all") to 5 ("A great deal".) The range of the scale is from 11 to 55; higher scores indicate greater hope regarding environmental action.

We will use the Behavioral Intentions component of the Environmental Action Scale (Alisat and Riemer; J Environ Psychol, 2015.) The BI component is the sum of 6 items. Each of the items is a statement on which participants are asked to rate their agreement on a 5-point Likert-type scale: from 1 ("Not at all") to 5 ("A great deal".) The range of the scale is from 6 to 30; higher scores indicate greater environmental action behavioral intentions.

Participants will be asked to rate how hopeful they are about global warming. They will move a continuous slider ranging from 0 ("Not hopeful at all; we are doomed regarding global warming and its consequences") to 100 ("Very hopeful; our actions can revert and prevent global warming and its consequences".)

Participants will be asked to rate how much agency they consider having around global warming. They will move a continuous slider ranging from 0 ("There is nothing that I can do about it") to 100 ("There is a lot that I can do about it".)

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