부산대학교 도서관

Climate change is a multidimensional problem, posing a threat to the ecosystem and to society. Its long-term implications extend beyond human physical health. Recently, attention shifted to the possibility of psychological distress that may arise from indirect exposure to climate change, namely being aware of the climate crisis. Young people are seen as an especially susceptible group to psychological sequelae of environmental degradation, yet they are also the ones who are increasingly being involved in climate movements. Although many studies have investigated young people’s responses to the direct exposure of climate change, there is less understanding of how indirect exposure relates to psychological well-being. This qualitative study aims to address this gap by exploring “what the experiences of young climate activists of being continually exposed to information about climate change are”. Seven self-identified climate activists between the ages of 16 to 29 participated in semi-structured interviews. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) with a critical realist position was used to create main themes: It’s an Activist Duty to Be Immersed in Information, Being in an Emotional Storm, Navigating the Internal Battle Between Activist’s Needs and Personal Priorities, Disconnecting to ReConnect. Participants described a pervasive sense of duty to be informed of climate change, despite experiencing a spectrum of emotions. They recognised the need to search for alternative ways of engaging with information, while prioritising their well-being. The implications for clinical practice include to explicitly explore contextual factors of activists, name the tension around managing informational exposure, and collaboratively discuss sustainable ways of engaging with climate-related information. Disseminating findings at conferences or counselling psychology-relevant journals could be used to inform clinical practice for working with this population in the consulting room and beyond. Through this study, climate activists might also learn about their shared experiences which might help them to sustain their activism.