Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Sep-Oct;42(5):1661-1668.
doi: 10.1111/phn.13580. Epub 2025 Jun 13.

Climate Change Worry and Environmental Sensitivity Among Nursing Students

Alime Selçuk Tosun  1 , Ümmügülsüm Ünsal Yüceer  2 , Büşra Demirdağ  3 , Nurcan Akgül Gündoğdu  4 , Neslihan Lök  1
Affiliations

Climate Change Worry and Environmental Sensitivity Among Nursing Students

Alime Selçuk Tosun et al. Public Health Nurs. 2025 Sep-Oct.

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between nursing students' worry about climate change and their environmental sensitivity.

Design and method: This research is a descriptive and correlational study. It was conducted with 432 nursing students. The data were collected using a Personal Information Form, the Climate Change Worry Scale, and the Environmental Sensitivity Scale. Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation), independent groups t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, one-way ANOVA, and multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the data.

Results: The mean score of nursing students on Climate Change Worry Scale was 30.74 ± 6.92, and the mean score on the Environmental Sensitivity Scale was 4.24 ± 0.44. A statistically significant moderate negative correlation was found between nursing students' worry about climate change and their level of environmental sensitivity (r = -0.694, p < 0.01).

Conclusions: The study revealed a moderate negative correlation between climate change worry and environmental sensitivity among nursing students. Reducing worry about climate change and enhancing environmental sensitivity may enable the students to take an active role in protecting public health in their professional careers.

Keywords: climate change; environmental sensitivity; nursing; worry.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Abousoliman, A. D., A. M. Ibrahim, H. Abualruz, et al. 2024. “Exploring the Relationship Between Nursing Students' Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Climate Change and Their Psychological Distress: A Cross‐National Investigation.” BMC Nursing 23, no. 1: 294. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912‐024‐01927‐8.
    1. Ahmad, N., Z. Ullah, M. Z. Arshad, H. W. Kamran, M. Scholz, and H. Han. 2021. “Relationship Between Corporate Social Responsibility at the Micro‐Level and Environmental Performance: The Mediating Role of Employee Pro‐Environmental Behavior and the Moderating Role of Gender.” Sustainable Production and Consumption 27: 1138–1148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2021.02.034.
    1. Amerson, R. M., O. Boice, H. Mitchell, and J. Bible. 2022. “Nursing Faculty's Perceptions of Climate Change and Sustainability.” Nursing Education Perspectives 43, no. 5: 277–282. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000000991.
    1. Atta, M. H. R., M. A. Zoromba, H. E. El‐Gazar, et al. 2024. “Climate Anxiety, Environmental Attitude, and Job Engagement Among Nursing University Colleagues: A Multicenter Descriptive Study.” BMC Nursing 23, no. 1: 133. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912‐024‐01788‐1.
    1. Ayar, D., B. Gözüaçık, and B. Şen. 2025. “Effect of Global Climate Change Concern on Environmental Sensitivity of Nursing Students.” Public Health Nursing 42, no. 1: 334–340. https://doi.org/10.1111/phn.13434.