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Climate and COVID-19 Crises in Young People in Indian Slums: Context, Psychological Responses, And Agency

9 Pages Posted: 27 Dec 2022

See all articles by Sandhya Kanaka Yatirajula

Sandhya Kanaka Yatirajula

Peking University - George Institute for Global Health

Lokender Prasad

Peking University - George Institute for Global Health

Mercian Daniel

Peking University - George Institute for Global Health

Pallab K. Maulik

Peking University - George Institute for Global Health

More...

Abstract

Introduction: COVID -19 and the climate crisis have caused unprecedented disruptions across the world. Climate change has affected the mental health and wellbeing of children and adolescent. Young people with a mental illness and without social support are at an increased risk of climate change induced mental ill-health. COVID-19 resulted in a marked increase of psychological distress. Increase in depression, anxiety and insomnia have increased due to the upheavals that people were experiencing including loss of livelihood and breaking of social bonds.

Methods: This exploratory study adopted a cross sectional survey design using quantitative methods to understand the perceptions, thoughts, and feelings of young people on both the climate and COVID-19 crises, their concerns, and desires for the future and to understand their sense of agency to contribute to the changes that they want to see.

Results: The findings show that most of the respondents reported nearly similar interference of climate change and COVID-19 on their mental wellbeing. Their climate concern and COVID-19 concern scores were comparable. Tangible experiences of extreme weather events, that were personally experienced or that impacted their family members had a negative impact on their lives, while action around improving the environment had a positive impact.Loss of income, loss of mobility and loss of social contact due to COVID-19 had negative impacts on the respondents, while indulging in leisure activities and bonding with the family had positive impacts. Although majority of the participants reported having both climate and COVID agency, it did not translate into action to improve the environment.

ConclusionYoung people’s activism on climate change and COVID-19 has a positive impact on their mental wellbeing hence more opportunities and platforms must be provided to enable young people to take action on both these crises.

Funding Information: This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-forprofit sectors.

Declaration of Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Ethical Approval: This study is approved by the George Institute for Global Health, New Delhi, India (Ref. no. 03/2021) on 25/02/2021. All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of The George Institute for Global Health, New Delhi, India. The study is in line with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments. Informed consent was obtained from all study participants and Participant Information Sheet was also be explained and provided to study participants. For participants between the ages of 16-17, assent from the participant as well as consent from their parents/ guardians was taken.

Keywords: Climate concern, COVID-19 concern, mental wellbeing, psychological distress, youth agency

Suggested Citation

Yatirajula, Sandhya Kanaka and Prasad, Lokender and Daniel, Mercian and Maulik, Pallab K., Climate and COVID-19 Crises in Young People in Indian Slums: Context, Psychological Responses, And Agency. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4254866 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4254866

Sandhya Kanaka Yatirajula (Contact Author)

Peking University - George Institute for Global Health ( email )

Beijing
China

Lokender Prasad

Peking University - George Institute for Global Health ( email )

Mercian Daniel

Peking University - George Institute for Global Health ( email )

Pallab K. Maulik

Peking University - George Institute for Global Health ( email )

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