Abstract:
The climatic conditions have been changing over the last several decades with the capacity to cause mental health issues. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of climate change on mental health of smallholder crop farmers in Eastern Kenya. The objectives focused on the effects of climate change on smallholder crop farmers agricultural activities; the prevalence of mental health issues among smallholder crop farmers; the effects of climate change on mental health of smallholder crop farmers; and the coping mechanisms that smallholder crop farmers have been utilizing to cope with the effects of climate change. A sample of 400 smallholder crop farmers was selected using quota sampling. Data collection utilized the Self-Reporting Questionnaire 20-item, a formulated questionnaire and focus group discussions. Results show that climate changes have had negative effect on agricultural activities. Further, the prevalence of mental health issues among smallholder crop farmers in Embu and Meru stands at 35.2%. Correlational analysis indicates an R value of .126a which is statistically significant (.126a p-value=<.005). An adjusted R square of .514 represents the result that climate change predicted mental health outcomes among smallholder farmers in Embu and Meru. The results show that climate change has a significant effect on mental health of smallholder farmers in Embu and Meru. The farmers are better at coping with mental health issues than they are at coping with climate change. The study recommends that the government in conjunction with agricultural agencies should help smallholder farmers to come up with innovative mechanisms to mitigate the climate change challenges that lead to reduced agricultural activities.
Description:
A Dissertation presented to the School of Humanities and Social Sciences Of USIU-A Nairobi, Kenya In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Psychology, PsyD, Clinical Psychology