HOW DOES ECO-ANXIETY AMONG GEOGRAPHY TEACHERS AFFECT THEIR PERFORMANCE? EVIDENCE FROM THE BANJA LUKA REGION (B&H)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.2298/IJGI2402245TKeywords:
eco-anxiety, geography teachers, HEAS-13, rumination, Banja LukaAbstract
Geographical education plays a crucial role in shaping individuals' understanding of the importance of addressing climate change and environmental issues. Nonetheless, the impact of ecological anxiety (eco-anxiety) on geography teachers, and its effect on their performance, remains insufficiently explored. This study examines the nature of eco-anxiety among geography teachers in the Banja Luka region of the Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). The research utilizes the HEAS-13 scale, which has been adapted into Serbian for the first time. This scale encompasses affective, rumination, behavioral impairment, and personal impact as the fundamental dimensions of ecological anxiety, comprising a total of 13 questions. The collected data were analyzed using the JASP software. Given the relatively small sample size (N = 40) and the observed non-normal distribution of data (Z-test), as well as their ordinal nature (Likert scale), correlations were determined using Spearman's rho factor. The primary hypothesis of the study suggests that geography teachers will exhibit a higher degree of rumination compared to other measured dimensions. The findings confirm the hypothesis, as rumination is the most prominent symptom of eco-anxiety (M = 0.925). The eco-anxiety of teachers in the Banja Luka appears to align with established trends based on gender, age, and type of school. The most notable correlation is observed between the dimensions of rumination and concern for personal impact on climate change (rho = 0.635). The expression of negative symptoms of rumination implies that teachers employ maladaptive coping strategies when addressing the adverse effects of climate change.
Article metrics
References
Albrecht, G. (2011). Chronic Environmental Change: Emerging ‘Psychoterratic’ Syndromes. In: I. Weissbecker (Ed.), Climate Change and Human Well-Being. International and Cultural Psychology (pp. 43–56). Springer.
American Psychological Association Task Force on the Interface Between Psychology and Global Climate Change. (2010). Psychology and global climate change: Addressing a multi-faceted phenomenon and set of challenges. https://www.apa.org/science/about/publications/climate-change
Berenguer, J., Corraliza, J. A., & Martín, R. B. (2005). Rural-Urban Differences in Environmental Concern, Attitudes, and Actions. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 21(2), 128–138. https://doi.org/10.1027/1015-5759.21.2.128
Borsa, J. C., Damásio, B. F., & Bandeira, D. R. (2012). Adaptação e validação de instrumentos psicológicos entre culturas: algumas considerações [Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of psychological instruments: some considerations]. Paidéia, 22(53), 423–432. https://doi.org/10.1590/s0103-863x2012000300014
Clayton, S. (2003). Environmental identity: A conceptual and an operational definition. In S. Clayton & S. Opotow (Eds.), Identity and the natural environment (pp. 45–65). Cambridge, MIT Press.
Clayton, S., & Karazsia, B. T. (2020). Development and validation of a measure of climate change anxiety. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 69, 101434. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2020.101434
Clayton, S., & Manning, C. (2018). Psychology and Climate Change: Human Perceptions, Impacts, and Responses. Elsevier Academic Press.
Clayton, S., Manning, C. M., & Hodge, C. (2014). Beyond Storms & Droughts: The Psychological Impacts of Climate Change. https://ecoamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/eA_Beyond_Storms_and_Droughts_Psych_Impacts_of_Climate_Change.pdf
Clayton, S., Pihkala, P., Wray, B., & Marks, E. (2023). Psychological and Emotional Responses to Climate Change among Young People Worldwide: Differences Associated with Gender, Age, and Country. Sustainability, 15(4), Article 3540. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043540
Coffey, Y., Bhullar, N., Durkin, J., Islam, M. S., & Usher, K. (2021). Understanding Eco-anxiety: A Systematic Scoping Review of Current Literature and Identified Knowledge Gaps. The Journal of Climate Change and Health, 3, Article 100047. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joclim.2021.100047
Cunsolo, A., & Ellis, N. R. (2018). Ecological grief as a mental health response to climate change-related loss. Nature Climate Change, 8(4), 275–281. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-018-0092-2
Dancey, C. P., & Reidy, J. (2004). Statistics Without Maths for Psychology: Using SPSS for Windows. Pearson Education.
Dodgen, D., Donato, D., Kelly, N., La Greca, A., Morganstein, J., Reser, J., Ruzek J.,, Schweitzer, S., Shimamoto, M. M., Thigpen Tart, K., & Ursano, R. (2016). Mental Health and Well-Being. In Crimmins, A., Balbus, J., Gamble, J. L., Beard, C. B., Bell, J. E., Dodgen, D., Eisen, R. J., Fann, N., Hawkins, M. D., Herring, S. C., Jantarasami, L., Mills, D. M., Saha, S., Sarofim, M. C., Trtanj, J., & Ziska, L. (Eds.) The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States: A Scientific Assessment (pp 217–246). http://dx.doi.org/10.7930/J0TX3C9H
Doherty, T. J., & Clayton, S. (2011). The psychological impacts of global climate change. American Psychologist, 66(4), 265–276. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023141
du Bray, M. V., Wutich, A., Larson, K. L., White, D. D., & Brewis, A. (2019). Anger and Sadness: Gendered Emotional Responses to Climate Threats in Four Island Nations. Cross-Cultural Research, 53(1), 58–86. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069397118759252
Ehring, T. (2021). Thinking too much: rumination and psychopathology. World Psychiatry, 20(3), 441–442. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20910
Emmerich, R. (Director). (2004). The Day After Tomorrow [Film]. 20th Century Fox.
Favier, T., Van Gorp, B., & Cyvin, J. B. (2021). Learning to teach climate change: students in teacher training and their progression in pedagogical content knowledge. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 45(4), 594–620. https://doi.org/10.1080/03098265.2021.1900080
Findlay, J. M. (2018). Nuclear Reactions: Documenting American Encounters with Nuclear Energy. J. W. Feldman, (Ed.). Environmental History, 23(3), 615–616. University of Washington Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/envhis/emy012
Goleman, D. (2009, September 27). The age of eco-angst. The New York Times. https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/the-age-of-eco-angst/
Hambleton, R. K. (2004). Issues, Designs, and Technical Guidelines for Adapting Tests Into Multiple Languages and Cultures. In R. K. Hambleton, P. F. Merenda & C. D. Spielberger (Eds.), Adapting Educational and Psychological Tests for Cross-Cultural Assessment (pp. 15–50) Psychology Press. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781410611758-6
Helferich, M., D., Hanss, R., Doran, J., Köhler, K., Salmela-Aro, C., & Ogunbode, C. (2020, September 02–05). Associations between climate change-related efficacy beliefs, social norms, and climate anxiety among young people in Germany. 17th Conference of the European Association for Research on Adolescence "Adolescence in a rapidly changing world". Porto, Portugal. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344123524_Associations_between_climate_change_related_efficacy_beliefs_social_norms_and_climate_anxiety_among_young_people_in_Germany#fullTextFileContent
Hermans, M. (2016). Geography Teachers and Climate Change: Emotions about Consequences, Coping Strategies, and Views on Mitigation. International Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 11(4), 389–408. http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1094631.pdf
Hogg, T. L., Stanley, S. K., O’Brien, L. V., Wilson, M. S., & Watsford, C. R. (2021). The Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale: Development and validation of a multidimensional scale. Global Environmental Change, 71(102391), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2021.102391
Hogg, T. L., Stanley, S. K., & O’Brien, L. (2023). Synthesising psychometric evidence for the Climate Anxiety Scale and Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 88, Article 102003. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2023.102003
Ivkov Džigurski, A., Ivanović Bibić, Lj., Đukičin Vučković, S., & Milanković Jovanov, J. (2020).The role of geography teaching in the formation of environmental consciousness of students. Geographical Review, 43, 9–20. http://geografskipregled.pmf.unsa.ba/pregledi/43/1.pdf
Jamieson, S. (2004). Likert scales: how to (ab)use them. Medical Education, 38(12), 1217–1218. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2929.2004.02012.x
JASP Team. (2024). JASP (Version 0.18.3) [Computer software]. https://jaspstats.org/download/
Joormann, J., Dkane, M., & Gotlib, I. H. (2006). Adaptive and Maladaptive Components of Rumination? Diagnostic Specificity and Relation to Depressive Biases. Behavior Therapy, 37(3), 269–280. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2006.01.002
Kaplan, E. A. (2015). Climate Trauma: Foreseeing the Future in Dystopian Film and Fiction. Rutgers University Press.
Kim, H.-J. (2013). Statistical notes for clinical researchers: assessing normal distribution (2) using skewness and kurtosis. Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics, 38(1), 52–54 https://doi.org/10.5395/rde.2013.38.1.52
Kubrick, S. (Director). (1963). Dr Strangelove or how I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb [Film]. Hawk Films.
Kuzon, W. M., Urbanchek, M. G., & McCabe, S. (1996). The Seven Deadly Sins of Statistical Analysis. Annals of Plastic Surgery, 37(3), 265–272. https://doi.org/10.1097/00000637-199609000-00006
Manning, C., & Clayton, S. (2018). Threats to mental health and wellbeing associated with climate change. In S. Clayton & C. Manning (Eds.), Psychology and Climate Change: Human Perceptions, Impacts, and Responses (pp. 217–244). Elsevier Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-813130-5.00009-6
Meyer, N. (Director). (1983). The Day After [Film]. ABC Circle Films.
Morton, T. (2013). Hyperobjects: Philosophy and Ecology after the End of the World. University of Minnesota Press.
Ogunbode, C. A., Pallesen, S., Böhm, G., Doran, R., Bhullar, N., Aquino, S., … Lomas, M. J. (2021). Negative emotions about climate change are related to insomnia symptoms and mental health: Cross-sectional evidence from 25 countries. Current Psychology: A Journal for Diverse Perspectives on Diverse Psychological Issues, 42, 845–854 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01385-4
Patrick, R., Snell, T., Gunasiri, H., Garad, R., Meadows, G., & Enticott, J. (2022). Prevalence and determinants of mental health related to climate change in Australia. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 57(5), 710–724. https://doi.org/10.1177/00048674221107872
Portney, L. G., & Watkins, M. P. (2002). Foundations of Clinical Research: Applications to Practice. Pearson/Prentice Hall.
Reser, J., Bradley, G., & Ellul, M. (2012). Coping with climate change: Bringing psychological adaptation in from the cold. In B. Molinelli (Ed.), Handbook of the Psychology of Coping: New Research. Psychology of Emotions, Motivations and Actions: Psychology Research Progress (pp. 1–34). Nova Science Publishers.
Sampaio, F., Costa, T., Teixeira-Santos, L., De Pinho, L. G., Sequeira, C., Luís, S., Loureiro, A., Soro, J. C., Merino, J. R., Poyato, A. M., Loray, J. S. P., Quiroga, A. R., O’Brien, L., Hogg, T. L., & Stanley, S. K. (2023). Validating a measure for eco-anxiety in Portuguese young adults and exploring its associations with environmental action. BMC Public Health, 23, Article 1905. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16816-z
Schober, P., Boer, C., & Schwarte, L. A. (2018). Correlation Coefficients: Appropriate Use and Interpretation. Anesthesia and Analgesia, 126(5), 1763–1768. https://doi.org/10.1213/ane.0000000000002864
Searle, K., & Gow, K. (2010). Do concerns about climate change lead to distress? International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, 2(4), 362–379. https://doi.org/10.1108/17568691011089891
Smith, J. M., & Alloy, L. B. (2009). A roadmap to rumination: A review of the definition, assessment, and conceptualization of this multifaceted construct. Clinical Psychology Review, 29(2), 116–128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2008.10.003
Spitzer, R. L., Kroenke, K., Williams, J. B. W., & Löwe, B. (2006). A Brief Measure for Assessing Generalized Anxiety Disorder The GAD-7. Archives of Internal Medicine, 166(10), Article 1092. https://doi.org/10.1001/archinte.166.10.1092
Stanley, S. K., Hogg, T. L., Leviston, Z., & Walker, I. (2021). From anger to action: Differential impacts of eco-anxiety, eco-depression, and eco-anger on climate action and wellbeing. The Journal of Climate Change and Health, 1, Article 100003. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joclim.2021.100003
Stevenson, K., & Peterson, N. (2015). Motivating action through fostering climate change hope and concern and avoiding despair among adolescents. Sustainability, 8(1), Article 6. https://doi.org/10.3390/su8010006
Trifunović, M., & Rajčević, V. (2024). HEAS–13 (SRB) skala za mjerenje eko-anksioznosti [HEAS-13 (SRB) eco-anxiety measurement scale]. https://geografija.pmf.unibl.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HEAS-13-srb-skala-ekoanksioznosti.pdf
Uzun, K., Öztürk, A. F., Karaman, M., Cebeci, F., Altin, M. O., Arici, A., & Artan, T. (2022). Adaptation of the Eco-Anxiety Scale to Turkish: A Validity and Reliability study. Archives of Health Science and Research , 9(2), 110–115. https://doi.org/10.54614/archealthscires.2022.21151
Verplanken, B., Marks, E., & Dobromir, A. I. (2020). On the nature of eco-anxiety: How constructive or unconstructive is habitual worry about global warming? Journal of Environmental Psychology, 72, Article 101528. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2020.101528
Wullenkord, M., Tröger, J., Hamann, K. R. S., Loy, L. S., & Reese, G. (2021). Anxiety and climate change: a validation of the Climate Anxiety Scale in a German-speaking quota sample and an investigation of psychological correlates. Climatic Change, 168, Article 20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-021-03234-6
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Journal of the Geographical Institute “Jovan Cvijić” SASA
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
