The eco-anxiety levels of adults living in areas affected by the manavgat forest fire

Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the eco-anxiety levels of adults living in areas affected by the Manavgat forest fire. Method: The study is a descriptive and analytical study. It was conducted between August 2024 and April 2025 with 261 people living in four neighborhoods in the Manavgat district of Antalya that were completely evacuated due to a forest fire that occurred in the summer of 2021. Data were collected by using a Personal Information Form and the Eco Anxiety Scale (EAS). SPSS 23.0 was used in the analysis of the data obtained in the study, and the significance level was accepted as 0.05. Results: The participants' overall EAS score average was determined as 0.76±0.62, and the means of its sub-dimensions were determined as 0.91±0.70, for emotional symptoms, 0.93±0.82 for repetitive thoughts, 0.67±0.71 for behavioral symptoms, and 0.50±0.70 for personal anxiety. While some EAS sub-dimension score averages showed significant differences across various variables, the overall EAS score averages were found higher for younger individuals, those with a higher level of education, those whose income exceeded their expenses, those who observed changes in the environment before the fire, those considered migration, those who reported changes in their health after the fire, those who said the fire was related to climate change, and those who were concerned about climate change. Climate change was found to cause anxiety in 82.4% of the study participants. Conclusion: It was determined that the eco-anxiety levels of the participants differed due to various variables. The effects of climate change on mental health should be taken into account, and environmental awareness and coping mechanisms should be developed through environmental education, and environmentally sensitive behavior should be fostered in order to transform eco-anxiety into a manageable concern. Keywords: Eco anxiety, public health nursing, climate change, forest fire