Abstract
Climate change is a real and shattering problem that is contributing to intense and overwhelming emotions in individuals worldwide. Reports from countries all over the world discuss how distressing the impact of climate change is, particularly on those aged 16-25. This age group, as we know, are particularly vulnerable with this being the most common age range where mental health disorders develop, and coincidentally, when individuals are most likely to attend university.This project played an important role in looking to understand whether the UK student population are concerned about climate change, and whether this contributes to their psychological health and well-being, and ability to function at university and socially.
A total of 201 students attending universities across the UK took part in this online116survey project. Importantly, a key finding of this project is that students are reporting climate anxiety which may be contributing to worse mental health and functional impairment. This importantly was distinct from reporting of eco-emotions, which supports the notion that eco-emotions cannot be pathologized.
This project may helpfully contribute to how climate distress is experienced by the vulnerable student population, and provide helpful pathways for future researchers to explore, considering the importance of defining clearer concepts in this field of research so that clear actions can be suggested to those in power.
| Date of Award | 20 Sept 2024 |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisor | Elizabeth Marks (Supervisor) |
Keywords
- Climate Change
- Student mental health
- Older Adults