D3.465 - Climate Change Anxiety Scale (HAES-13) in assessing the emotional impact of extreme weather events

Extreme weather events have been very frequent and have generated material, physical, and emotional discomfort. The Hogg Climate Change Anxiety Scale (HAES-13) is used to assess the impact of these changes on individuals. The aim of this study is to evaluate eco-anxiety in individuals exposed to an extreme weather event, floods in southern Brazil, and to investigate its possible association with the presence of allergic diseases.

397 individuals (13 to 75 years old; 72.8% female) participated, either in medical consultation or accompanied, in Uruguaiana, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, between August 1-30, 2025. Participants completed the HAES-13 questionnaire, composed of 13 items (four domains: Affective Symptoms, Rumination, Behavioral Symptoms, and Anxiety); via Google Forms and on a smartphone. Each item was scored according to the frequency of the reported feeling: 0 (never), 1 (several days), 2 (more than half the days), and 3 (almost every day), with a maximum total score of 39 points. All participants rated their concern about weather events using a visual analog scale (VAS; 0 to 10).

he affective symptom and anxiety domains of the HAES-13 obtained the highest scores among those evaluated. 69.8% of participants were classified as having mild impairment (0–13), 26.2% moderate (14–26), and 4.0% severe (27–39). Higher total HAES-13 scores were observed among participants who had: chronic disease (11.0 vs. 9.0; p=0.029); some allergic disease (11.0 vs. 9.0; p=0.015); experienced a climate-related event (11.5 vs. 8.0; p<0.001); age ≥41 years (11.0 vs. 9.0; p=0.017). 81% of respondents rated their concern at six or more points on the VAS. However, the correlation between VAS and HEAS-13 score was moderate and statistically significant (Spearman's r=0.458; p<0.001). However, the agreement between these two measures was very low (Kappa = 0.05). Previous exposure to floods (11.0 vs. 12.5; p=0.330) and lower educational level (10.0 vs. 10.0; p=0.124) did not significantly affect HEAS-13 scores.

the HEAS-13 proved to be a valid and sensitive instrument for assessing the anxiety of individuals exposed or not to climate-related events.