Environmental studies programs: A hit to happiness — ASN Events
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Environmental studies programs: A hit to happiness (#816)

Ajay Mangat 1 , Holli-Anne Passmore 1 , Rebecca Rawson 2 , Michelle Brooks-Ucheaga 2 , Uche Okere 2 , Yasushiro Kotera 3
  1. Concordia University of Edmonton, Edmonton, ALBERTA, Canada
  2. University of Derby, Derby, United Kingdom
  3. University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom

Background 

Climate change is impacting mental health (Cianconi et al., 2020) and having a profound emotional effect on citizens in a variety of everyday contexts (Norgaard, 2011). Clearly, university students acquiring knowledge about climate change are also affected (Barnes, 2022; Berry et al., 2018; Hickman, 2020; Verlie, 2019). This is a population of special interest because, as Graham et al. (2021) noted, sustainability courses include an element of distress that goes beyond the normal learning experience of other students.

Aims

We aimed to study the trajectory of environmental awareness and emotional well-being (i.e. happiness) across the course of a semester in environmental studies students compared to students in general studies.

Method

Undergraduate students (N = 188) from one university in the United Kingdom (n = 149) and one university in Canada (n = 39) were recruited from general and environmental studies programs (Mage = 34.18, SD = 10.76; 72% female). Participants reported on levels of awareness of environmental problems and happiness during the first two weeks of the semester, and then again at the end of the semester, along with qualitative responses regarding experiences of eco-anxiety.

Results

At the beginning of the semester, compared to students in general studies, students enrolled in environmental studies programs reported significantly greater awareness of environmental problems (p = .018, d = 0.388), but no significant difference was evident in levels of happiness. At the end of the semester, though, while students in environmental studies programs were, not surprisingly, still reporting significantly higher levels of awareness of environmental problems than students in general studies programs (p < .001, d = .832), these students were also now reporting significantly lower levels of happiness (p =.022, d = -0.509). Themes of powerlessness, worry about future generations, and frustration emerged.

Conclusion

Educators in environmental studies programs need to be aware of this possible hit to happiness for students in their courses and incorporate mitigation strategies into curriculum

  1. Barnes, B. (2022). Eco-Anxiety: Exploring existential threats and ontological security among university students. http://hdl.handle.net/10222/81697
  2. Berry, H. L., Bowen, K., & Kjellstrom, T. (2010). Climate change and mental health: A causal pathways framework. International Journal of Public Health, 55(2), 123-132. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-009-0112-0
  3. Cianconi, P., Betrò, S., & Janiri, L. (2020). The impact of climate change on mental health: a systematic descriptive review. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11, 74. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00074
  4. Graham, P., Kuyvenhoven, C., Upitis, R., Arshad-Ayaz, A., Scheinman, E., Khan, C., Goebel, A., Brown, R. S.,& Hovorka, A. (2021). The emotional experience of sustainability courses: Learned eco-anxiety, potential ontological adjustment. Journal of Education for Sustainable Development, 14(2), 190-204. https://doi.org/10.1177/0973408220981163
  5. Hickman, C. (2020). We need to (find a way to) talk about… Eco-anxiety. Journal of Social Work Practice, 34(4), 411-424. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650533.2020.1844166
  6. Norgaard, K. M. (2011). Living in denial: Climate change, emotions, and everyday life. MIT Press. Verlie, B. (2019). Bearing worlds: Learning to live-with climate change. Environmental Education Research, 25(5), 751-766. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2019.1637823
  • Please select up to 3 keywords from the following list to best describe your submission content: Education, Environment and Nature, Positive emotions
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