Title : How students make sense of climate change: Climate change concerns and coping mechanisms among students at woodstock School in the Himalayas
Abstract:
The broader impact of climate change on mental health, especially among youth, is often overlooked despite its increasing recognition. Although there is growing evidence linking climate anxiety to mental well-being, there remains a dearth of research addressing the mental health concerns of youth in relation to climate change and their coping mechanisms. This gap in research hinders our understanding of the full extent of the issue and the development of effective interventions. This study focuses on students living in the Himalayas, using a self-reflective qualitative methodology combining journaling and semi-structured interviews. The goal of the study is to understand how these students perceive and cope with climate change, shedding light on their nature-human relationship and the role of self- reflection in understanding their concerns. The research will be conducted in the summer of 2024 at Woodstock School, an international boarding school nestled in the Himalayan Forest a region profoundly affected by environmental changes. Through this qualitative research, I plan to answer two primary questions: 1) How do students living in the Himalayas make meaning of climate change in their everyday lives, and using what coping mechanisms for climate change concerns, if any? and 2) the efficacy of self-reflecting intervention in understanding students’ climate change concerns. With the results of this study, I hope to contribute to a better understanding of youth’s emotional experience of climate change in the Himalayas and how they cope with this experience, and also provide insight into the role of self-reflection as a preliminary step for a longitudinal study on mix-method interventions in understanding climate change concerns among youth.
Audience Take Away:
- Potential for informing evidence-based interventions to support youth mental health amidst environmental changes, contributing to the broader public health agenda.
- Highlights the impact of climate anxiety on youth, emphasizing the urgency of addressing mental health concerns related to environmental challenges.
