Research Portfolio Submitted in Part Fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctorate in Clinical Psychology

: 1) A meta-ethnography of global research on the mental health and wellbeing impacts of climate change on older adults; 2) A meta-ethnography of global research on the mental health and wellbeing impacts of climate change on older adults; 3) Healing within, healing the planet: The effects of mindfulness practice and nature connectedness on climate distress and environmental action.

Abstract

Objectives: Mindfulness could promote climate adaptation on individual, community and planetary level but it has not been studied empirically in relation to climate distress. This study explored whether two different types of brief mindfulness practice can reduce negative- and increase positive affect in response to climate change material, and predict pro-environmental behaviour.

Methods: In an online experiment, participants (N=184; N=175 after exclusion)were randomised to one of three conditions, either following a 10-minute guided practice of mindfulness of breathing (N=55), interconnectedness mindfulness (N=62) or listening to a story(N=58). Participants then watched a video (2.14 minutes) about climate change. They completed measures of their sense of connectedness with nature, current emotions about climate change and state mindfulness. They were invited to perform a pro-environmental action at the end of the study.

Results: Multiple linear regressions assessed climate emotions as outcome variables, including experimental condition, state mindfulness and nature connectedness as predictors, and controlling for baselines and covariates. There were no effects of condition on emotions contrary to our hypothesis, and no significant predictors of pro-environmental behaviour. Higher state mindfulness scores predicted increases in both positive and negative climate emotions after watching the climate video. Exploratory analysis revealed this was an indirect effect of the two mindfulness practices.

Conclusions: Finding suggested that state mindfulness can enhance awareness of the emotional responses to climate change. Further research can explore the effect of mindfulness on emotional and cognitive strategies for managing climate distress, as well as the benefits of more sustained mindfulness intervention.

Date of Award	20 Sept 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bath
Supervisor	Elizabeth Marks (Supervisor)