The way people perceive contact with nature may impact their environmental attitudes and psychological well-being (WB). Nature relatedness (NR) refers to the affective, cognitive, and experiential aspects of individuals’ connection to nature. The aim of the presented research concentrates on the assessment of the relationship between well-being, self-control and connectedness with the natural environment. The data was collected via online questionnaire between March and April 2022. In the study, we combined descriptive statistics with analysis of variance. We also quantitatively assessed correlations between major components of NR scale and psychological WB across men’ and women’ inquires. The results showed that there is a statistically significant relationship between the general index of NR and overall psychological WB. Furthermore, correlation between specific aspects of NR and WB subscales were also observed. These interactions are considerable among both men and women. We have also identified a major correlation between NR and self-control, which indicates the link between the way a person approaches oneself and natural environment. Finally, the analysis provides evidence that women are on average more related to nature, although the men may benefit more from this kind of relationship. Further gender differences could be observed in terms of nature-relatedness perspective component, general self-control, score and overall NR score These relationships are highly vital among men while irrelevant among women.
Urban forests are not only woodlands or groups of trees, but also individual trees, street trees, trees in parks, trees in derelict corners, and gardens. All of which are located in urban and peri-urban areas and diversify the landscape and provide a wide range of social benefits. Sensory gardens play a specific therapeutic and preventive role. Designing such gardens as a recreational infrastructure element can successfully enrich urban forests. Following the principles of universal design may provide enjoyment for all city-dwellers, with special attention given to the needs of individuals with disabilities. We studied 15 gardens and one sensory path located in various regions in Poland. The inventory was carried out on the basis of the features considered important in spatial orientation by blind and partially sighted people. The results showed that the solutions used were only partly adequate for the needs of selected users. We found neither tactile walking surface indicators (e.g., communication lines and terrain), spatial models, nor applications in mobile devices. However, these could be useful for all visitors. We confirmed that although problems with the use of forest tourist space are dependent on the type of disability, by implementing the idea of universal design for all elements of recreational infrastructure, forests may be accessible for all users.
The category of green areas which intensify feelings using a small area includes sensory gardens. They also have major potential for eliminating stress symptoms and stimulating sensory feelings among people with disabilities. Sensory gardens, as an element of universal recreational development in urban and suburban conditions, can perfectly fulfill social, educational, and therapeutic functions. Their distinguishing feature is a strong influence on non-visual senses. Spaces that are adapted to the needs of people with disabilities give a sense of security, provide greater independence, can be used for passive and active therapy, and constitute a zone of social inclusion. Sensory gardens can be considered as an example of a comprehensive development of green areas that meets the requirements of universal design. The presented study is a review. The authors show that providing urban communities with a form of therapeutic contact with nature through the use of urban forests is very important of improving their quality of life. Special attention was paid to the potential of sensory gardens in the designing of forms of recreational development, which may be an opportunity to reduce the process of social exclusion of people with disabilities in the local environment.
Recreational activity undertaken within urban green spaces (UGS) is an action that could be self-governed and self-regulated by a given person under the pressure of COVID-19. We aimed to identify the factors that induce or reduce the frequency of recreational activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. These factors were explored among two distinct fields: (1) demographic variables and (2) stress-coping strategies. The former is associated with a body of literature on socioeconomic determinants of physical activity. The latter is derived from psychological studies on coping responses to problems. In this paper, we present an interdisciplinary perspective on human recreational activity during the pandemic. We collected information on stress-coping strategies and the patterns of urban green recreation among 376 prime-age Polish adults with different places of residence. We observed that people who use forests daily had higher scores of acceptance as a coping strategy than people using green spaces only on weekends. As choosing acceptance as a coping strategy is typical for those who consider their situation to be irreversible, green recreation may help to acclimate individuals to stressful situations that cannot be easily changed or controlled, which is the case for the pandemic. Moreover, we found that active coping, as well as avoidant coping, were predictors of increased use of green spaces during the pandemic. This conclusion affirms that green recreation as a form of reducing COVID-19-induced stress is associated with the dual nature of coping (active and avoidant). Further research is necessary to better understand of motivation to use urban green recreation, especially when practiced as a method of strengthening mental health.
The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the socio-demographic background, patterns of recreational activity, and their impact on mood regulation strategies used by urban green spaces (UGS) visitors in Poland. In our research approach, we collected data from 376 participants through an online survey. In the next step, we developed structural equation models: one general model and two additional models for men and women. We discovered that both socio-demographic characteristics, as well as the variety of visited green spaces impact people’s mood regulation strategies. In our research approach, latent variable places that consists of different types of green spaces is the key concept that positively affect mood regulation strategies; visiting more places reduces the tendency to decrease mood and increases the tendency to increase mood. Moreover, we identified some important gender similarities and differences. There is causation between the types of leisure activity and the frequency of a leisure activity among men and women. However, in the case of women, the frequency of a leisure activity is positively associated with the tendency to increase mood; in the case of men, the association is negative. The research results provide a deeper insight into of the patterns of green leisure that shape the subjective well-being of urban green space visitors in Poland.
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