Supporting youth emotionally when communicating about climate change: A Self-Determination Theory approach

J.E. Spitzer; S. Grapsas; A.M.G. Poorthuis; S.C.E. Thomaes

doi:10.1177/01650254231190919

Supporting youth emotionally when communicating about climate change: A Self-Determination Theory approach

J.E. Spitzer^*
, S. Grapsas
, A.M.G. Poorthuis
, S.C.E. Thomaes

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

Communicating with adolescents about climate change can be challenging if we want to safeguard their emotional well-being. Here, we evaluate the emotional impact of climate change communication that is informed by self-determination theory (SDT). We conducted two experiments with samples of ethnically diverse adolescents from the United States to examine adolescents’ emotions when reading needs-aligned, needs-misaligned, and needs-neutral (control) communication about climate change. Adolescents who read needs-aligned communication reported less anxiety compared with adolescents who read needs-misaligned (Study 1) and needs-neutral (Study 2) communication. Unexpectedly, compared with adolescents who read needs-neutral communication, adolescents who read needs-misaligned communication reported more positive emotions (i.e., enjoyment, pride) when learning about climate change (Study 2). Our research provides initial evidence that SDT can inform climate change communication strategies that buffer adolescents from experiencing anxiety.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	113-124
Number of pages	12
Journal	International Journal of Behavioral Development
Volume	48
Issue number	2
Early online date	7 Aug 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/01650254231190919
Publication status	Published - Feb 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2023.

Funding

The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement no. 864137, awarded to Sander Thomaes). This research was supported by Character Lab and facilitated through the Character Lab Research Network, a consortium of schools across the United States working collaboratively with scientists to advance scientific insights that help kids thrive.

Funders	Funder number
European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union	864137
Character Lab
European Research Council (ERC)	864137

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 13 Climate Action

Keywords

Adolescents
basic psychological needs
climate anxiety
climate change communication
emotions
self-determination theory

Access to Document

10.1177/01650254231190919Licence: CC BY

spitzer-et-al-2023-supporting-youth-emotionally-when-communicating-about-climate-change-a-self-determination-theoryFinal published version, 569 KBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

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Supporting youth emotionally when communicating about climate change: A Self-Determination Theory approach

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

UN SDGs

Keywords

Access to Document

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