The impact of climate change on student psychological distress

Abstract

Indonesia is now experiencing abnormal severe hot weather, where El-Nino causes the increasing temperature to be above the average. Although El Nino is a common phenomenon that occurs naturally, climate change factors exacerbate the adverse impact of El Nino on human life. Many studies have presented empirical evidence on how climate change significantly affects individuals’ mental health, distress, burnout, and other related psychological wellbeing. However, little attention has been paid to the relationship between students’ psychological wellbeing and climate change, especially in Indonesia. This research aims to understand how environmental aspects can harm students’ psychological wellbeing, by measuring the correlation between climate change, mental health, and psychological distress. The variables that will be observed in this research are climate change exposure, pro-environmental behaviour, psychological distress, and positive mental health. Using the online survey method, the respondents of this research will be undergraduate students from many different universities in Indonesia. This research is expected to present the negative impact of climate change on positive mental health and psychological distress, which is moderated by environmental awareness.