The Impact of Seasonal Affective Disorder on Environmental Consciousness and Pro-Environmental Behavior

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to find the impact of seasonal affective disorder on environmental consciousness and pro-environmental behavior among adults in Chennai. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that affects people as the season changes. Depression caused by shifts in weather affects the mood and brings about hopelessness, anhedonia, and even chronic fatigue just like symptoms of typical depression. As people get into adulthood they are more likely to get affected by this disorder. Being environmentally conscious and proactively doing something for the environment’s well-being which is also known as pro-environmental behavior (PEB) can be hard to give thought to during the low mood swings. Data was collected from 120 adults using a purposive sampling technique and the data was collected through a questionnaire including demographic details, Seasonal Affective Disorder Questionnaire, Pro-Environmental Behavior Scale, and the Environmental Consciousness Scale. We employ regression analysis additionally a correlational study hence to find the relationship, descriptive statistics are applied to account for other relevant factors. This research significantly contributes to the field of ecopsychology. Findings from this study show that there is a significant correlation between seasonal affective disorder, pro-environmental behavior, and environmental consciousness. Seasonal affective disorder also has an impact on both pro-environmental behavior and environmental consciousness.  This study can help by observing the relationship seasonal affective disorder has on pro-environmental behavior and environmental consciousness which can help us stay environmentally friendly even when there is a shift in mood during certain seasons.