Examining the Intersections of Climate Change Economic Stress and Mental Health of Nigerian Youths in Online Spaces

This study investigates the intersections of climate change, economic stress, and mental health among Nigerian youths, focusing on how these themes are expressed in digital spaces (Reddit, Nairaland, and Gistmania). Employing a mixed-methods case study, the research combines sentiment analysis of online discourse from the Reddit, Nairaland, and Gistmania with survey data from 500 respondents, providing a comprehensive systemic lens into youth experiences. The dataset was processed and analyzed using Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques mainly the VADER, BERTopic, ClimateBERT, and spaCY, alongside interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) for qualitive insight and classification modeling technique for validation purpose. Findings revealed that while online narratives demonstrate an overall predominance of positive sentiment (182 instances), a significant proportion of negative sentiments (98 instances) highlights vulnerability associated with economic stress (80) over climate change (18). Trends between 2016 and 2015 showed oscillatory patterns of sentiment, with notable spikes in 2020, and another in 2023 linked to the COVID-19 lockdown and the Nigeria’s general elections periods respectfully. Correlation analysis indicated a weak but negative relationship (-0.10) between overall sentiments and youth mental health, suggesting that the heightened economic and environmental stressors diminish mental resilience. Importantly, classification modeling underscored the difficulty of disentangling climate change discourse from economic stress, reflecting Nigeria’s socio-economic and infrastructural complexities. The study concludes that economic insecurity exerts a more immediate and pronounced impact on youths’ mental health than climate change alone, indicating both factors are deeply intertwined. It highlights the role of online discourse as both avenues for emotional expression and a potential early warning tool for detecting rising stress levels among young populations. The study recommends including youth-centered policies addressing economic vulnerabilities, the creation of safe digital forums for engagement, and integration of sentiment monitoring into national strategies. Future research should expand data sources, employ more advanced NLP tailored to Nigerian linguistic local context, and incorporate cross-cultural comparisons within the Global South.