| Abstract [eng] |
Climate change is considered to be the greatest challenge of the 21st century. It poses a great threat not only to physical, but also to mental health. In the context of climate change and mental health, it is notable that anxiety of climate change is manifesting in a growing population of people who are not directly exposed to the negative effects of climate change. The purpose of this study is to reveal the experience of anxiety about climate change among young adults. A. Giorgi's phenomenological research methodology was used for this qualitative research. The method of thematic analysis by Braun and Clark (2006) was chosen to collect and analyze research data. In total, 6 young adults between the age of 18 and 29 (2 males, 4 females) participated in the study. 4 themes describing the experience of anxiety about climate change among young adults were distinguished: a) Awareness of the phenomenon of climate change; b) Negative feelings towards climate change; c) Relationship to climate change; d) applied coping strategies in response to climate change; e) a pessimistic view of the outlook for climate change. The first theme unfolded through 3 sub-themes: assessment of the climate change phenomenon as a problem; negative effects of climate change and unnatural causes of climate change. The second theme also revealed 3 subthemes: anxiety; despair; anger. The themes revealed reflect the unique and complex nature of young adults' experiences of anxiety about climate change. The results of this study may be useful for further research on the impact of climate change on mental health. |
