Commentary: Should we worry about climate worry? Understanding and promoting youth resilience and pro-environmental engagement: a commentary on Park et al. (2026)

Understanding the mental health impact of climate change is of paramount importance to promoting youth resilience and pro-environmental engagement. Here, we reflect on the study of Park et al. (Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 2026) on the prevalence and mental health correlates of climate worry in young adolescents. We propose that terminological clarity and abstinence from evaluative judgments on the adaptiveness of climate worry are necessary to unravel its role and function in young people's mental health and lives. We also provide suggestions for future research and practice that aim to deepen on three key implications of the study: (a) that climate worry has multiple unique links to a host of mental health problems in young adolescents; (b) that gender differences in climate worry are present already from a young age; and (c) that adults should promote both resilience and pro-environmental engagement in youth, in a developmentally appropriate manner.