Review: Ecological awareness, anxiety, and actions among youth and their parents – a qualitative study of newspaper narratives
Corresponding Author
Laelia Benoit
Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
Maison de Solenn, Hôpital Cochin AP-HP, Paris, Île-de-France, France
Inserm U1018, CESP, Team DevPsy, Paris-Saclay University, France
Correspondence
Laelia Benoit, 230 S Frontage Rd, New Haven, CT 06519, USA; Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorIsaiah Thomas
Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
Search for more papers by this authorAndrés Martin
Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Laelia Benoit
Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
Maison de Solenn, Hôpital Cochin AP-HP, Paris, Île-de-France, France
Inserm U1018, CESP, Team DevPsy, Paris-Saclay University, France
Correspondence
Laelia Benoit, 230 S Frontage Rd, New Haven, CT 06519, USA; Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorIsaiah Thomas
Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
Search for more papers by this authorAndrés Martin
Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
Search for more papers by this authorRead the full Commentary doi: 10.1111/camh.12522.
Abstract
Background
Despite the growing impact of climate change on mental health, there have been few studies to date investigating how children and teenagers manage their ecological grief and eco-anxiety and how they can leverage it into environmental action. In this scoping review, we analyze lay press narratives about how youth respond to climate change to examine the dynamics between minors and adults around the evolving climate crisis.
Methods
We included articles published between 2018 and 2021 in six of the top ten American newspapers by circulation about young people during the climate crisis. The 131 articles we selected addressed the attitudes of children, adolescents, and parents toward the climate crisis. We conducted a qualitative analysis based on discourse analysis aided by NVivo software.
Results
Newspaper articles commonly categorized children, adolescents, and their respective perspectives and experiences around climate change along four patterns of discourse: (a) fierce young activists; (b) adultified children; (c) innocent victims; and/or (d) ultimate saviors. In turn, articles considered parents and adults in one of four paradigmatic ways: (a) experiencing eco-anxiety through parenthood; (b) taming children’s eco-anxiety; (c) criticizing youth-led activism; and/or (d) reimagining climate action as a source of meaning in the lives of young people.
Conclusion
Through the framework of childism, or prejudice against children, we conceptualize immature ways for adults to respond to youths’ concerns as a defensive stance against overwhelming climate change anxiety. Alternatively, principles of existential psychology can help inform healthier and more productive responses from parents, clinicians, educators, and public health officials as they seek truthful yet supportive responses to address legitimate ecological threats that will disproportionately affect generations to come.
Supporting Information
Filename | Description |
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camh12514-sup-0001-Supinfo.docxWord 2007 document , 92.1 KB | Table S1. Organizational grid and codebook. Appendix S1. Newspaper articles cited for discourse analysis. |
Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.
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