SERENA LIDIA COLOMBO

Dottoressa di ricerca

ciclo: XXXVII


supervisore: Prof. Antonino Raffone

Titolo della tesi: Pro-environmental behaviour, self-regulation and mindfulness: an outlook on their interplay

Human responsibility for the environmental crisis is increasingly supported by scientific evidence, and climate change has become a major public concern. Despite this, greenhouse gas emissions remain far above levels deemed acceptable to keep global warming within the 1.5°C/2°C threshold set by the Paris Agreement, raising the likelihood that we may miss the opportunity to prevent the climate system from entering an irreversible trajectory. While extensive scientific research has been dedicated to understanding the drivers and barriers to pro-environmental behaviour (i.e., actions aimed at minimising one’s negative impact on the ecosystem), much of this research has focused on factors such as environmental knowledge, individual motivation, and contextual opportunities. However, these studies often fail to explain why intentions to act for the environment do not always lead to concrete actions, a phenomenon known as the environmental attitude-behaviour gap. To address this gap, this thesis explores the role of self-regulation (i.e., the ability to modify one’s automatic responses and internal states to pursue long-term goals and adapt to one's environment) and of mindfulness - as both a source and a manifestation of enhanced self-regulation - in encouraging pro-environmental behaviour. The first section of the thesis (Chapters 1, 2, and 3) reviews the literature on pro-environmental behaviour, self-regulation, and mindfulness, highlighting the interactions between these constructs and establishing a reference framework for the studies conducted during the PhD programme, which are presented in the subsequent chapters (Chapters 4-8). The first study discussed in the thesis is a systematic review of 41 studies investigating the role of self-regulation processes, and the underlying executive functions, in explaining pro-environmental behaviour. The review reveals a positive relationship between self-regulation processes and pro-environmental behaviour, although findings regarding executive functions were mostly inconclusive. The second study, using a correlational design, explored the relationship between mindfulness, pro-environmental attitudes, and pro-environmental behaviours. The findings indicate that the observing facet of mindfulness directly predicts pro-environmental behaviour, while the acting with awareness and nonjudging facets moderate the link between attitudes and behaviours, enhancing their consistency. Using the same correlational method, the third study examined the relationship between mindfulness, climate anxiety, and pro-environmental behaviour. The results show that mindfulness moderates anxiety with a dual effect on pro-environmental engagement: it fosters adaptive coping when anxiety is more severe but may reduce engagement when it downplays more adaptive levels of anxiety. The fourth study tested the effects of a cognitive manipulation intervention designed to enhance self-regulation abilities on individuals' reactions to climate change. The findings indicate that while environmental education increased pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours, complementing the programme with self-regulation training improved individuals' emotional regulation, a critical skill in responding to the escalating threat of climate change. The final study investigated the effects of different brief mindfulness inductions on individuals’ emotional responses to climate change information and their pro-environmental actions. The findings revealed that mindfulness training focused on both awareness and acceptance skills was significantly more effective at regulating negative emotions compared to partial training or no training. However, it did not significantly impact pro-environmental actions. The findings of this thesis highlight the complex dynamics of the relationship between self-regulation, mindfulness and pro-environmental behaviour whilst providing a theoretical foundation for interventions aiming to promote constructive responses to climate change, combining essential behavioural change with psychological resilience.

Produzione scientifica

11573/1733302 - 2024 - On the Relationship Between Climate Change Anxiety and Pro‐Environmental Behaviour: Dispositional Mindfulness as a Double‐Edged Sword
Colombo, Serena L.; Raffone, Antonino; Simione, Luca - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: MINDFULNESS (New York, NY : Springer Science and Business Media) pp. - - issn: 1868-8527 - wos: (0) - scopus: (0)

11573/1724539 - 2024 - Mindfulness, self regulation and pro-environmental behaviour
Colombo, Serena Lidia; Chiarella, Salvatore Gaetano; Raffone, Antonino; Simione, Luca - 04d Abstract in atti di convegno
congresso: XXX Congresso dell'Associazione Italiana di Psicologia - Sezione Sperimentale (Noto; Italy)
libro: AIP Sperimentale 2024, 30° Congresso annuale - Book of Abstracts - ()

11573/1692615 - 2023 - Probing pro-environmental behaviour: a systematic review on its relationship with executive functions and self-regulation processes
Colombo, S. L.; Chiarella, S. G.; Lefrancois, C.; Fradin, J.; Simione, L.; Raffone, A. - 01g Articolo di rassegna (Review)
rivista: JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY (Elsevier Science Limited:Oxford Fulfillment Center, PO Box 800, Kidlington Oxford OX5 1DX United Kingdom:011 44 1865 843000, 011 44 1865 843699, EMAIL: asianfo@elsevier.com, tcb@elsevier.co.UK, INTERNET: http://www.elsevier.com, http://www.elsevier.com/locate/shpsa/, Fax: 011 44 1865 843010) pp. - - issn: 0272-4944 - wos: WOS:001105948300001 (7) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85174805908 (8)

11573/1692622 - 2023 - Understanding the Environmental Attitude-Behaviour Gap: The Moderating Role of Dispositional Mindfulness
Colombo, S. L.; Chiarella, S. G.; Raffone, A.; Simione, L. - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: SUSTAINABILITY (Basel : MDPI) pp. - - issn: 2071-1050 - wos: WOS:000988131300001 (16) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85159323460 (17)

11573/1692617 - 2023 - Why Knowing about Climate Change Is Not Enough to Change: A Perspective Paper on the Factors Explaining the Environmental Knowledge-Action Gap
Colombo, Serena L.; Chiarella, Salvatore G.; Lefrançois, Camille; Fradin, Jacques; Raffone, Antonino; Simione, Luca - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: SUSTAINABILITY (Basel : MDPI) pp. - - issn: 2071-1050 - wos: WOS:001095151200001 (8) - scopus: (0)

11573/1724544 - 2023 - Understanding the Role of Dispositional Mindfulness in Moderating the Environmental Attitude-Behaviour Gap
Colombo, Serena Lidia; Chiarella, Salvatore Gaetano; Raffone, Antonino; Simione, Luca - 04d Abstract in atti di convegno
congresso: 1st International Conference on Environmental Mindfulness (ICEM) (Rome; Italy)
libro: International Conference on Environmental Mindfulness - Book of Abstracts - ()

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