THE EFFECT OF CHANGING CLIMATE CONDITIONS ON THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MIDWIFERY STUDENTS

The aim of this study was to determine the impact of changing climate conditions on the psychology of midwifery students. A total of 307 midwifery students were included in this descriptively designed study. Data were collected online via Google Forms using the Descriptive Information Form and the Climate Change Anxiety Scale.In the study, the mean subscale scores of the Climate Change Anxiety Scale for midwifery students were calculated. Accordingly, the mean score for the Cognitive Impairment subscale was determined as 13.00±4.82, for the Functional Impairment subscale as 7.80±3.41, and the total scale score as 20.81±7. It was reported by the students that climate change was considered an important issue for the world by 97.1%, and for human health by 64.5%. In addition, 88.9% of the students stated that they did not take a course on climate change during their midwifery education, 70% stated that midwifery education did not create awareness about climate change, 71% stated that they were not members of an environmental organization, 38.1% stated that the most effective way to prevent climate change was education/raising public awareness, and the majority of them obtained information about global climate change from social media.As a result, it was determined that midwifery students had awareness of climate change, but experienced a low level of anxiety associated with it. In this context, it is recommended that future midwives assume a leadership role in making health systems more resilient to climate change and in protecting the psychological well-being of the community.