The climate crisis has devastatingly harmed natural systems, amplified extreme environmental disaster, and impacted human well-being in complex and interconnected ways. This includes intensifying wildfire activity at alarming rates. While the climate crisis will affect everyone in some form, parents carry the emotional, physical, and economical weight of caring for children in a changing climate. Given the complexity of parenting amidst climate change and the impact on well-being, it is imperative that families are adequately supported. Previous researchers studying parenting and climate change have focused on how parental health and responses impact children and how parents should support children, family experiences post-disaster, and children’s functioning post-disaster. Further, previous researchers have focused on the influence of climate change on reproductive decisions, overlooking potential parents’ considerations about how to parent in the future. My dissertation aimed to help fill knowledge gaps about how parents intend to approach their parenting and what their parenting looks like in these contexts. In Study 1, we qualitatively explored potential parents’ and current parents’ relationships with climate change and their thoughts about the influence of climate change on parenting. We used a story completion task with two story stems about speaking with a media outlet on how a changing climate impacts parenting. We collected 113 stories from undergraduate students; 12 participants were parents at the time of our study (included as incidental data generation) and 101 participants were interested in becoming parents. We used reflexive thematic analysis to analyze collected stories within an experientialist and a relativist/constructionist framework. We created five themes from the data: (1) We Might be Small, but We are Mighty; (2) Meeting Climate Change Thoughtfully, with Intention, and Purpose; (3) My climate change Actions are a Drop in a Bucket; (4) The Future is Not Bright; and (5) Ignorance is Bliss. In Study 2, we qualitatively analyzed family vlogs about wildfire on YouTube. We used reflexive thematic analysis within an experientialist and a relativist/constructionist framework. We created three themes from the data: (1) Coping with Uncontrollable Stress and Uncertainty, with subthemes (1a) Trivializing our Wildfire Experience, (1b) Combatting Feeling Powerless, (1c) Sitting with Uncertainty and Discomfort, and (1d) Using our Values as our Compass; (2) Unprepared for the Unexpected; and (3) I Have a Lot to be Thinking About, with subtheme (3a) Parking our Processing for Later. Overall, my dissertation highlighted the importance of psychological research on the climate crisis and that parental experiences should not be overlooked. We more broadly added to existing literature by finding that parents are not receiving the support they need (and have been asking for) with managing the uncertainty, stress, and challenges of climate instability and disaster threat. My dissertation also showcased the successful deflection of corporate and government blame, raised concerns about increasing parental pressure and stress, and echoed the importance of balancing individual and collective climate action. My dissertation is an important step in understanding how parenting is impacted by climate change, the challenges that parents face, what potential parents’ considerations are, and how to better support families in a warming climate. Without this understanding, service providers and policymakers are left with little guidance for how to meaningfully support parents. In the fight for a liveable planet, continued work in this area is critical for helping to prepare current and future generations of families.
Kendall Deleurme (Wed,) studied this question.