PSYCHOLOGICAL INFLUENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE STUDY HABIT OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the study

Climate change is one of the toughest challenges that mankind has ever faced. There is significant anthropogenic impact of climate change on atmospheric, oceanic and terrestrial warming, resulting in widespread and rapid changes across the atmosphere, oceans, cryosphere and biosphere. This human-induced warming has occurred at an unprecedented rate within the past 2000 years, primarily due to an unparalleled increase in mixed greenhouse gas emissions which have affected human activities in the environment (de Graaf et al., 2023). Despite the increasing scientific efforts in describing and predicting the consequences of climate change, people’s beliefs about them can vary widely and the relationship between these beliefs and engaging in adaptive behaviour is not completely clear (Van Valkengoed and Steg, 2019; van Valkengoed et al.,2021).

In an attempt to motivate environmental action, ecological information campaigns usually aim at promoting individual behavioral change by concentrating on the disclosure of the negative consequences of climate change. This approach enhances fear levels, consequently motivating pro-environmental action. However, this is true only when strong fear appeals are accompanied by high-efficacy messages, potentially producing the greatest behavioral change. On the other hand, having low-efficacy messages will likely produce the greatest levels of defensive responses instead (Fritsche and Masson, 2021). Conversely, adding indications about what to do, individually and collectively, to mitigate the environmental impact increases efficacy beliefs. This, in turn, improves intentions to conserve the environment (Asgarizadehet al., 2023). Inducing high levels of fear may lead to denial and apathy, resulting in more psychological distancing from the issue. These Psychological and emotional components play a key role in the onset of climate change helplessness, the belief that climate change is beyond personal control, resulting in behavioral inhibition related to pro-environmental actions (Salomonet al., 2017).

Psychology is among many things that matters on human day-to- day activities. The success and failure faced in various activities performed each day most often depends on daily psychology (Gotfried, 2019). People can suffer from various psychological problems that severely disrupt their daily functioning in various occasions. These problems mainly emanates from psychological factors such as stress, anxiety, depression, lack of motivation, loneness, helplessness and phobias. These psychological problems can lead students in higher education institution to failure in their academic achievements, test anxiety, poor performance, low self-confidence, unrealistic worry and fear or uneasiness that interfere with their ability to function normally (Duncan & McKeachie, 2015).

According to a systematic mapping of published scientific literature, there is increasing psychological disease outcome after climate change induced event such as flooding. A long-term trend of increasing psychological disease from flooding has been confirmed, particularly in poorer socioeconomic conditions (Zhonget al.,2018). Psychological distress expressed by victims after a severe flooding, remained even after several years. If displacement due to flooding happened without warning, the impacts observed shows both higher prevalence and more long-term effects (Munroet al.,2017).

The slow and more gradual impact by climate change on human and ecological systems may negatively impact the health and wellbeing by increasing the stress on people and communities. The increase in awareness and knowledge about the serious consequences of climate change may have a vicarious and/or existential impact. The psychological phenomenon is characterized by a sense of loss, for example experienced after loss of property or land by flood. It can include emotional pain, a feeling of having lost comfort and relaxation previously experienced in the environment. The risks that human mental health and wellbeing negatively affected are expected to increase and even more in the future with more apparent climate change consequences in students’ life including study habit (Milojevic et al., 2017).

According to (Sheffield and Landrigan, 2020) climate change affects students’ mental health and wellbeing, effects from extreme weather events affect students’ psychological well-being with risk of developing different mental health consequences, such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, phobias, sleep disorders, attachment disorders, and study habit. This may disrupt emotional and cognitive development and academic achievement. Many young people are concerned and express worry for their future lives related to climate change, including fear and anxiety (Ojala, 2022). It is critical to understand how students and youth perceive, handle and cope with climate change as a potential stressor which may have affected their study habit.

The psychological influence of climate change may determine students’ study habit. Study habits therefore, indicate a sort of more or less permanent method of studying. Study habits are autonomously learned behavior pattern that enable the students to acquire how to study and activity carried out by a learner during the learning process for the purpose of improving learning. (Singh, 2019) opined that poor habits of study not retards school progress but develop frustration, destroy initiative and confidence and make prominent the feelings of worthlessness towards oneself and subject. Developing good study habits, students have more interest and self-discipline in everything and if parents and teachers inculcate good habits in them, it will be useful in their future study (Rabiaet al.,2017).

The learner’s habitual ways of exercising and practicing his/her abilities for learning is considered as his/her study habits. The pattern of behaviour adopted by students in their study, the learner’s learning character which serve as the vehicle of learning and may be seen as both means and ends to learning is his/her study habit (Gudaganavar & Halayannavar, 2014). Study habits play a significant role in the life of students, the success or failure of each student depends upon his/her study habits. (Kumud and Rajesh, 2016) stated that many students fail not because they lack ability, but because they do not have adequate study skills. Study habit is the tendency of a student to learn in a systematic and efficient way when opportunity is given. The time spent on studying helps students to retain the materials learned, which will eventually boost the students’ performance outcomes during tests or examinations. The degree of learning depends on the amount of time the student is actively engaged in learning and the environmental factors that prevail (Oluwatimilehin & Owoyele, 2012). This study therefore investigates the psychological influence of climate change on the study habit of undergraduate students of Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu Alike in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Nigeria.

1.2 Statement of the problem

The extent to which a student excels or performs in his or her studies depends on the kind of study habits he or she develops. A student who develops and utilizes good study habits is likely to perform better in his studies when compared with the one who has bad study habits. Thus, study habit is very instrumental to the academic success of every student at all levels. However, one wonders the extent to which students in recent times develop and use their study habits as most of the students hardly know how to study. The common challenge to the success of students in all ramifications is lack of effective or positive (good) study habits. Most students do not have study plan to guide their studies. Some hardly attend classes, do their homework and prepare for their exams etc. This may not be unconnected to the recent abysmal performance of students in their examinations. Therefore, this study investigates the psychological influence of climate change on the study habit of undergraduate students of Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu Alike in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Nigeria.

1.3 Purpose of the study

The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychological influence of climate change on the study habit of undergraduate students of Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu Alike in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study sought to:

Examine the influence of posttraumatic stress disorder on study habit of undergraduate students of Alex Ekwueme Federal University.
Determine the influence of adjustment disorder on study habit of undergraduate students of Alex Ekwueme Federal University.
Ascertain the influence of depression onstudy habit of undergraduate students of Alex Ekwueme Federal University

1.4 Research questions

Based on the objectives of the study, the following research questions guided the study;

What is the influence of posttraumatic stress disorder on study habit of undergraduate students of Alex Ekwueme Federal University?
How doesadjustment disorderinfluencestudy habit of undergraduate students of Alex Ekwueme Federal University?
What is the influence of depression on study habit of undergraduate students of Alex Ekwueme Federal University?

1.5 Statement of hypotheses

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