Speaker: Cristina Loi @CristinaLoi
Affiliation: University of Basel
Title: The impact of a narrative-based intervention for young adults on well-being, climate emotions and pro environmental behaviors
Abstract: This study presents the results of a 6-week narrative-based program for young adults that combines the use of climate fiction and an adaptation of the Shared Reading methodology to foster pro-environmental behaviors while enhancing mental well-being. Conducted in Switzerland with 25 participants aged 18–24, the program featured weekly sessions blending traditional and digital/audiovisual narratives. In a within-subjects design, preliminary findings based on the first post-test reveal significant increases in well-being, social connectedness, and climate hope after participating in the program.
Long abstract
Multiple calls for actions urge to investigate how to inspire pro-environmental behaviors in young adults, while simultaneously enhancing their mental well-being (Wu et al., 2020). Answering these calls, I will present the results of Sharing FutureS, a 6-weeks narrative-based program for young adults inspired by the Shared Reading methodology and by recent research findings in the field of empirical ecocriticism.
The emerging field of empirical ecocriticism (Schneider-Mayerson et al., 2023), which focuses on the impact of climate fiction, grounds research endeavours in the premise that stories have the capacity “to overcome the obstacles that limit the efficacy of expository messages’’(Schneider-Mayerson et al., 2023, p. 5). Studies in this context found that reading a climate fiction story prompts changes in pro-environmental beliefs and behaviours (Malecki et al., 2019; Myrick & Oliver, 2023; Schneider-Mayerson et al., 2023). However, these positive effects tend to disappear after one month (Schneider-Mayerson et al., 2023). Therefore, a 6-weeks prolonged exposure to climate fiction during the Sharing FutureS program presents an opportunity to observe any potential long-term effects.
Shared Reading is a participatory experience in which groups of people read aloud narrative and poetic texts, and it includes pauses for peer discussion on their experience with the text. The therapeutic effects of shared reading on mental health are well-known (Billington, Davies & Farrington, 2013; Dowrick et al., 2012), but the method has yet to be applied systematically to address climate anxiety and pro-environmental behaviours in particular. Furthermore, so far shared reading programs have attracted the voluntary participation of mostly middle- aged to elderly individuals, predominantly females. This project aims at adapting the shared reading methodology for the needs of young adults, whose contemporary reading practices and media habits spread beyond reading traditional books to include forms of digital and audiovisual storytelling (Loi, Kuijpers, Ensslin & Lauer, 2023).
Drawing from findings in empirical ecocristicism and principles of Shared Reading, the structure of the “Sharing FutureS” narrative-based program is the following: a trained session leader presents two narratives, one of which follows the typical shared reading model (either a short story or a poem), while the other is selected from other types of narratives (e.g., clips from TV series/movies, digital fiction, social media storytelling), leaving room for peer-discussion after pauses. As for the theme of the selected narratives, the predominant focus is on climate fiction and environmental narratives (at least one narrative per session), intertwined with narratives on other common topics that are salient for the future of young adults as identified by a preliminary survey conducted in local schools (uncertainty, mental health, societal pressure to perform).
A total of 25 participants aged 18-24 (enrolled in 4 different groups) took part in the program, which was conducted in Basel (Switzerland) from October to November 2024, with weekly meetings lasting approximately 1.5 hours. While all participants were exposed to the same narratives, two groups attended the program in English, and the other two groups attended the program in German. Each group was moderated by a different session leader, trained by the Sharing Stories Verein (a local shared reading provider) in collaboration with the PI of the project. In a within-subjecs design, all participants completed a pre test questionnaire at the beginning of the program, a post test questionnaire immediately after the end of the program and a delayed post test one month after the end of the program. The questionnaires measured the participants’ well being (Tennant et al., 2007), social connectedness (Lee & Robbins, 1995), emotions in response to climate change (Ojala, 2015; Sangervo et al., 2022) and pro-environmental behaviors (Markle, 2013). The study also gathered qualitative data through video recordings during selected sessions and questionnaire open questions on the experience with the program and with specific narratives.
At the moment of submission of this abstract, the first post-test has already been conducted, while the delayed post test is scheduled in a few weeks. Preliminary results show that after attending the program participants reported a significant increase in wellbeing, social conncectedness and climate hope, as well as a marginal increase in pro-environmental behavior that did not reach statistical significance. This conference presentation will deliver a comprehensive report on the study design and results, including the delayed post test and more nuanced insights into the impact of the program as gathered via a mixed-methods content analysis on the participants open answers in the post tests. Additionally, it will discuss the potential benefits and challenges of applying this type of narrative-based methodology both in an educational contex and as a free time acivity for young adults.
References
Billington, J., Davis, P., & Farrington, G. (2013). Reading as participatory art: An alternative mental health therapy. Journal of Arts & Communities, 5. Reading as participatory art: An alternative mental health therapy | Intellect
Dowrick, C., Billington, J., Robinson, J., Hamer, A., & Williams, C. (2012). Get into Reading as an intervention for common mental health problems: Exploring catalysts for change. Medical Humanities, 38(1), 15–20. Get into Reading as an intervention for common mental health problems: exploring catalysts for change | Medical Humanities
Lee, R. M., & Robbins, S. B. (1995). Measuring belongingness: The social connectedness and the social assurance scales. Journal of counseling psychology, 42(2), 232.
Loi, C., Kuijpers, M., Ensslin, A., & Lauer, G. (2023). Paths to transformation across contemporary reading practices: The role of motivations and genre preferences. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts.
Malecki, W., Sorokowski, P., Pawlowski, B, Cienski, M. (2019). Human Minds and Animal Stories: How Narratives Make Us Care About Other Species. New York: Routledge.
Markle, G. L. (2013). Pro-environmental behavior: Does it matter how it’s measured? Development and validation of the pro-environmental behavior scale (PEBS). Human ecology, 41, 905-914.
Myrick, J. G., Oliver, M.B. (2023). The Role of Exemplar Voice, Compassion, and Pity in Shaping Audience Responses to Environmental News Narratives. In Scheider-Mayerson et al. (Eds) (2023). Empirical Ecocriticism. Environmental Narratives for Social Change. pp: 153-175. University of Minnesota Press.
Sangervo, J., Jylhä, K. M., & Pihkala, P. (2022). Climate anxiety: Conceptual considerations, and connections with climate hope and action. Global Environmental Change, 76, 102569.
Schneider-Mayerson, M., von Mossner, A. W., Malecki, W. P., & Hakemulder, F. (Eds.). (2023). Empirical ecocriticism: Environmental narratives for social change. U of Minnesota Press.
Tennant, R., Hiller, L., Fishwick, R., Platt, S., Joseph, S., Weich, S., … & Stewart-Brown, S. (2007). The Warwick-Edinburgh mental well-being scale (WEMWBS): development and UK validation. Health and Quality of life Outcomes, 5, 1-13.
Wu, J., Snell, G., & Samji, H. (2020). Climate anxiety in young people: a call to action. The Lancet Planetary Health, 4(10), e435-e436.