Childhood trauma may lead to civic & green environmental engagement.
Recent research has shown that people who experience traumatic events in childhood are more likely to be civically and privately engaged in environmental issues later in life. A new study conducted by the University of Colorado and Loyola University has found that childhood trauma is associated with increased interest in both private and public environmental engagement as an adult. This indicates that there may be something about a formative, negative experience that drives individuals to engage on a public or policy level with environmental issues, instead of only practicing green behavior.
The research was conducted by surveying a nationally representative sample of about 450 U.S. adults to examine two types of environmental engagement. Public, civic engagement was measured in hours per month devoted to an environmental protection cause, such as writing letters to elected officials or donating time and resources to an organization. Private, green behavior was defined as self-reported actions adopted by individuals or households to reduce their environmental impact.
Previous research has shown that people who experience natural disasters as children are more likely to get involved in environmental causes, but these new findings show that childhood trauma of any kind is associated with increased interest in both private and public environment engagement as an adult. The researchers suggest that this could partly be a coping mechanism, to attempt to keep bad things from happening to other people or living things.
The study also found that in addition to people who experienced childhood trauma, those who traveled and had experiences in nature as children were also more likely to report engaging in private “green behavior” as adults, such as recycling, driving or flying less, and taking shorter showers. This indicates that creating opportunities for people to connect with nature is important for cultivating a society that protects the natural resources that we all depend on.
The findings of this study emphasize the need for people engaged in public-facing or civic environmental work to have access to resources and support. It is important to recognize that those who work on mitigating climate change are also often part of communities directly affected by its growing impacts, and that they may be carrying other kinds of emotionally complex burdens. Providing resources and support to those working on environmental issues is an important step in making sure that these individuals are taken care of and can continue to make a difference.
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