“Io, Keimami Leqataka Vakalevu Na Vei Gauna Mai Muri” (“We are Worried About the Future Generation”): Experiences of Eco-Grief in Rural Indigenous Fijians

Title
“Io, Keimami Leqataka Vakalevu Na Vei Gauna Mai Muri” (“We are Worried About the Future Generation”): Experiences of Eco-Grief in Rural Indigenous Fijians
Publication Date
2023-11-06
Author(s)
Lykins, Amy
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2930-3964
Email: alykins@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:alykins
Cosh, Suzanne
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8003-3704
Email: scosh@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:scosh
Nunn, Patrick D
Kumar, Roselyn
Sundaraja, Cassandra
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1980-6867
Email: csundar2@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:csundar2
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Leibniz Institute for Psychology (ZPID)
Place of publication
Germany
DOI
10.5964/gep.11447
UNE publication id
une:1959.11/56643
Abstract

The impacts of climate change are particularly strong in Pacific Small Island Developing States. However, empirical data on mental health and well-being in the context of climate change and climate anxiety in the region remains limited. The aim of this research was to understand the emotional experiences of climate change and its impact on well-being in rural Fiji. Seventy-one Indigenous and traditional Fijian adults from seven rural villages were interviewed. Data were analyzed using an inductive latent thematic analysis. Evident was the experience of ecological grief among Indigenous and traditional Fijians. In particular, grief experiences were related to losses of species and resources, which impacted ways of life and led to the loss of culture, traditions, and customs. Anticipatory grief was also evident, relating to the loss of lifestyle for future generations, and the loss of traditional and ancestral homes through potential migration. Results provide new data from the Global South and contribute to the limited exploration of mental health in relation to climate change in the Pacific region. The results highlight the experience of ecological grief among Pacific Islanders, and underscore the significance of culture loss due to climate change and anticipatory grief.

Link
Citation
Global Environmental Psychology, v.1, p. 1-28
ISSN
2750-6630
Start page
1
End page
28
Rights
Attribution 4.0 International

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