Developing climate resilience and emotional adaptability in youth
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN20122275 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN20122275 |
| Sponsor | Mind and Life Institute |
| Funder | Mind and Life Institute |
- Submission date
- 13/08/2026
- Registration date
- 18/08/2026
- Last edited
- 18/08/2026
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Other
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Climate change is a global crisis that has environmental as well psychological and social consequences, to which young adults such as college students are more vulnerable. To address this challenge, a contemplative, skills-based climate resilience course was developed to improve emotional adaptability pertaining to climate change in college young adults.
Who can participate?
Students enrolled in the University of California San Diego (UCSD) Climate Resilience (CR) course hosted in the Global Health department, and students who were attending a non-CR UCSD Global Health course in the same academic quarter.
What does the study involve?
All participants had two visits at the start and again 3 months later after course completion, where they completed surveys and the EEG Nature Nod(NN) task. Participants performed the NN task delivered on a laptop with simultaneous EEG recording. For both the Climate Resilience course and the control group, visits were scheduled 3 months apart, at the beginning of the quarter when the course was offered and at the end of the course quarter.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Participants from both groups were monetarily compensated with e-gift cards for completing surveys and neurocognitive assessments. The potential benefit of the current study is that a climate resilience university course can reduce maladaptive climate emotional outcomes (hopelessness, loneliness) and improve key protective resources (community, self-compassion, emotion regulation). The Climate Resilience course may promote a perspective shift in Gen Z/α through experiential, mindfulness-based learning, empowering youth to view themselves as capable of collective action toward climate solutions. There are no known potential risk of implementing climate resilience course.
Where is the study run from?
University of California San Diego (USA)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
March 2025 to July 2025
Who is funding the study?
Mind and Life Institute (USA)
Who is the main contact?
Dr Jyoti Mishra, jymishra@health.ucsd.edu
Contact information
Principal investigator, Public, Scientific
Guava Bldg
Room 128
3177 Biomedical Sciences Way
La Jolla
San Diego
92093
United States of America
 ORCID ID |
0000-0001-6612-4557 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +1 (0)858 232 2855 |
| jymishra@health.ucsd.edu |
Study information
| Primary study design | Observational |
|---|---|
| Observational study design | Longitudinal study |
| Scientific title | Developing objective measurements of climate resilience and emotional adaptability in youth |
| Study objectives | Climate change is a global crisis that has environmental as well psychological and social consequences, to which young adults such as college students are more vulnerable. To address this challenge, a contemplative, skills-based climate resilience course was developed to improve emotional adaptability pertaining to climate change in college young adults. |
| Ethics approval(s) |
Approved 25/01/2025, UC San Diego Institutional Review Board (9500 Gilman Drive, UC San Diego, San Diego, 92093, United States of America; +1 (0) (858) 534-2230; irb@ucsd.edu), ref: #180140 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Climate resilience and emotional adaptability |
| Methodology | Participants were recruited during Spring quarter 2025. We recruited 20 students enrolled in the CR course group consisted (14 males; mean age = 20.5 ± 1.6 years) and the 20 control group students (16 males; mean age = 20.4 ± 2.1 years) who were attending general climate education without any experiential psychosocial training. There were no significant differences between groups in age (p = 0.6), self-reported gender (p = 0.5), education ( p = 0.6). Informed consent were obtained from all the participants. We implemented a cluster-controlled design in which students were recruited from the UC San Diego campus and assigned to two groups, a CR course and other environmental studies control courses. All participants had two visits at the NEATLabs at baseline and again 3 months later after course completion, wherein they completed a battery of surveys and the EEG NN task. Participants performed the Nature Nod task delivered on a laptop with simultaneous EEG recording. For both the CR course and the control group, visits were scheduled 3 months apart, at the beginning of the quarter when the course was offered and at the end of the course quarter. Participants from both groups were monetarily compensated with e-gift cards for completing surveys and neurocognitive assessments. The UC Climate Resilience Course consists of ten weekly in-person classes delivered across all UC campuses (including UC San Diego) by university faculty and certified mindfulness instructors. Each weekly session integrates approximately 30 minutes of contemplative practices and teachings, 20 minutes of group discussion centered on pre-class climate action expert video interviews, 30 minutes of experiential activities reinforcing the session theme, and 20 minutes of group climate action project planning. Several class sessions are held outdoors to heighten the nature-immersion experience, and the final two sessions are dedicated to student presentations on climate-related group projects. Instructors are trained to model and cultivate mindfulness, compassion, and psychological flexibility, while creating a supportive classroom environment. Students are encouraged to share personal reactions to the didactic material (e.g., interviews with international climate leaders), connect it to their own lives, and engage in constructive dialogue. To ensure quality and consistency, we have established a network of expert facilitators who collaborate on training, group facilitation strategies for sensitive topics, and mutual support. Course faculty brings extensive teaching experience, and the meditation instructors are mindfulness-certified with years of practice in contemplative education. The program has already been implemented within the UC-wide Center for Climate, Health, and Equity, with a mission is to develop climate resilience education and resources within the UC and to distribute them widely for public benefit nationally and internationally. Additional details of the CR course can be found at https://www.climateresilience.online/. |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure(s) |
|
| Key secondary outcome measure(s) | |
| Completion date | 02/07/2025 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Lower age limit | 18 Years |
| Upper age limit | 27 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Target sample size at registration | 40 |
| Total final enrolment | 40 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Students enrolled in the University of California San Diego (UCSD) Climate Resilience (CR) course hosted in the Global Health department 2. Control group students who were attending a non-CR UCSD Global Health course in the same academic quarter |
| Key exclusion criteria | Does not meet the inclusion criteria |
| Date of first enrolment | 31/03/2025 |
| Date of final enrolment | 30/04/2025 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- United States of America
Study participating centres
Results and Publications
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
|---|
Editorial Notes
18/08/2026: Study's existence confirmed by the UC San Diego Institutional Review Board.
