Academic Research 

The Problem 

Climate change is a pressing global issue that has far-reaching effects, including impacts on mental health. The specific research problem addressed in this paper is to understand the relationship between college students' media exposure to climate change information and their anxiety levels, as well as how this anxiety affects their intentions to take pro-environmental actions.

Paper Objectives

• Investigate the relationship between college students' climate anxiety, climate change media exposure, efficacy beliefs, and pro-environmental intentions.

• Examine if there is a curvilinear relationship between climate change anxiety and pro-environmental action intentions.

• Explore the role of self-efficacy and collective efficacy beliefs in predicting pro-environmental behavioral intentions.

Methods

• The paper employed a cross-sectional survey method with a nonrandom convenience sampling technique.

• A total of 440 college students from a Western university participated in the survey.

• The survey measured variables such as media exposure to climate change news, climate change anxiety, efficacy beliefs, and pro-environmental behavioral intentions.

Key Findings/Insights

1. The study found a significant curvilinear relationship between climate change anxiety and pro-environmental intentions, where moderate anxiety predicted positive intentions, while higher levels of anxiety were associated with negative intentions.

2. Media exposure (frequency of media use and attention to climate change news) positively predicted increased climate change anxiety among college students.

Strategic Recommendations

• The paper suggests that some levels of climate change anxiety may be beneficial for motivating pro-environmental action, but extreme levels can become cognitively impairing and reduce perceived agency and efficacy.

• Informational sources, such as the news media, should reevaluate their approach to covering climate change, reducing negativity and sensationalism to contribute to addressing the impacts of climate change on public well-being.

• Enhancing perceived self and collective efficacy beliefs may drive individuals to mitigate the negative impacts of extreme climate change anxiety and engage in pro-environmental actions.

I co-authored a research paper that explored the disparity between journalists' perceived professional roles and their actual performance in Rwanda and Ethiopia. Using survey and content analysis data, it compares journalists' role conceptions and performance in interventionism, power distance, market orientation, and ethical orientation. The findings reveal that journalists in both countries often report higher interventionism and power distance than their media organizations, with lower market and ethical orientation. The paper discusses influencing factors, including political, economic, and cultural contexts, as well as journalists' characteristics. This understanding of diverse journalistic roles and performance can offer valuable insights for U.S. journalists, aiding them in navigating challenges and seizing opportunities in varied media systems and cultures, fostering reflection on their professional values and practices amid evolving media landscapes and audience expectations.

I also co-authored a book chapter that presents a case study of how a Television news class at the University of South Florida empowered unheard communities in the fight for social justice during the COVID-19 pandemic. The chapter uses social identity theory and constructivist learning theory to explore how the students used solutions-based journalism to amplify diverse voices that are often absent in mass media. The chapter also discusses the challenges and opportunities of online learning and participatory journalism in fostering inclusive learning design. Understanding this case study can benefit health communication and diversity in the United States by showing how media can be used to raise awareness and mobilize action on issues that affect marginalized groups, such as health disparities, racial discrimination, and social inequity. It can also inspire educators and journalists to create curriculum and content that value and reflect the diversity of their audiences and communities.