Environmental concerns, physical and mental health among Palestinians: the mediating roles of optimism, pessimism and meaning in life

Objective: We investigated the association between environmental concerns, health and mental health among Palestinians and whether optimism, pessimism and meaning in life mediate the association between these variables. Methods: Our study sample consisted of 504 participants who were selected using online tools. Findings: The results revealed that pessimism negatively correlated with optimism, mental health, physical health and meaning in life, while optimism positively correlated with mental health, physical health and meaning in life and negatively correlated with environmental concerns. Moreover, meaning in life correlated negatively with environmental concerns. Structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis showed that optimism, pessimism and meaning in life mediate the correlation between environmental concerns, health and mental health with a good fit for our model. Conclusion: In the case of Palestinian territories, environmental concerns and issues are driven mainly by politics affecting people’s health and mental well-being. Therefore, it is recommended to conduct similar studies to explore protective factors against environmental concerns in the Palestinian context, which will help develop appropriate interventions to enhance mental health in a society characterized by high stressors and prolonged trauma.