Conexão com a natureza e comportamento ecológico de adolescentes amazônidas

Abstract

The Connection with Nature (CN) is understood as a psychological construct of subjective bond with nature that, even though it's a biological characteristic, is shaped by cognitive and affective aspects from positive experiences lived in and with nature since childhood. From these experiences, a person can develop a strong CN. This construct predicts physical and mental well-being, as well as Ecological Behavior (CE). Ecological Behavior can be defined as environmentally friendly actions, stemming from intentional or unintentional conducts, aimed at the protection and care of the environment. Considering these premises, the present exploratory research aimed to understand the degrees of Connection with Nature (ICN) and Ecological Behavior (CE) of Amazonian adolescents in the urban and rural areas of the city of Manaus. A structured questionnaire was administered, with questions about sociodemographic aspects, socio-environmental history of activities in nature, and two CN scales: a) Inclusion of Nature in the Self Scale (INS) and b) Connection with Nature Scale (ICN). Questions about CE were made with scaled items regarding ecological and non-ecological practices concerning water consumption, energy consumption, and waste disposal. The questionnaire was administered in person at elementary schools in urban and rural areas of Manaus-AM. The choice of schools was based on accessibility, with 4 schools from urban areas and 2 schools from rural areas. 184 adolescents participated (53% girls and 47% boys) aged between 11 and 14, with 79% from urban schools and 21% from rural schools. The majority (70%) of adolescents understand nature as a place of biotic elements (flora and fauna); 10% as a place emitting positive qualities (good feelings, beauty); 9% as a place composed of abiotic elements (water, mountains). The remaining 10% expressed various understandings. Most of these adolescents reported infrequent visits to natural environments or engaging in outdoor activities, whether in park visits, tree climbing, playing with animals, or going to waterfalls/rivers. Overall, adolescents showed moderate levels of CN in INS (M=4.09) and higher levels of CN in ICN (M=4.22). The results demonstrate significant differences in the INS scale regarding location (p=0.007) with higher CN levels in rural adolescents and age of the respondents (p=0.032), with higher CN levels in younger adolescents; in ICN, only gender (p=0.001) was statistically significant, with females showing higher CN levels than male adolescents. It is concluded that older adolescents exhibit lower CN levels than younger ones. Adolescents attending rural schools, on the other hand, have higher levels of CN than those in urban schools. Female adolescents show higher CN levels than male adolescents. It is noteworthy that adolescents who reported greater interaction with nature and positive experiences in these environments are those who adopted CE actions more frequently. Finally, it is highlighted that CN and CE are related.