A Scoping Review Mapping Research on Green Space and Associated Mental Health Benefits

Wendelboe‐Nelson, Charlotte; Kelly, Sarah; Kennedy, Marion; Cherrie, John W.

doi:10.3390/ijerph16122081

Cited by 117 publications

(100 citation statements)

References 350 publications

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“…With respect to mental health, most studies on the effects of greenspace on mental health use self-reported measures 14 , 26 with high variability in the number of different measures used 26 . This variability of measures used to assess mental health make comparability, and aggregating evidence on the effects of urban greenspace on mental health, difficult 26 . There is a need for more objective indices of mental health 14 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urban street tree biodiversity and antidepressant prescriptions

Marselle

Bowler

Watzema

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

129

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Growing urbanisation is a threat to both mental health and biodiversity. Street trees are an important biodiversity component of urban greenspace, but little is known about their effects on mental health. Here, we analysed the association of street tree density and species richness with antidepressant prescribing for 9751 inhabitants of Leipzig, Germany. We examined spatial scale effects of street trees at different distances around participant’s homes, using Euclidean buffers of 100, 300, 500, and 1000 m. Employing generalised additive models, we found a lower rate of antidepressant prescriptions for people living within 100 m of higher density of street trees—although this relationship was marginally significant (p = 0.057) when confounding factors were considered. Density of street trees at further spatial distances, and species richness of street trees at any distance, were not associated with antidepressant prescriptions. However, for individuals with low socio-economic status, high density of street trees at 100 m around the home significantly reduced the probability of being prescribed antidepressants. The study suggests that unintentional daily contact to nature through street trees close to the home may reduce the risk of depression, especially for individuals in deprived groups. This has important implications for urban planning and nature-based health interventions in cities.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urban street tree biodiversity and antidepressant prescriptions

Marselle

Bowler

Watzema

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

129

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show abstract

“…Research across a wide spectrum of disciplines has empirically explored the linkages between nature or ecosystems and human well‐being with the conclusion that nature generally makes people happier and healthier (both physically and mentally; see e.g. Annerstedt & Währborg, ; Hartig, Mitchell, de Vries, & Frumkin, ; Russell et al, ; van den Bosch & Ode Sang, ; Wendelboe‐Nelson, Kelly, Kennedy, & Cherrie, ; White et al, ). Recently, the Intergovernmental Science‐Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Regional Assessment for Europe and Central Asia revealed the dynamic relationships between nature's contributions to people, biodiversity and ecosystems, and their relevance for human well‐being (respectively quality of life in their terminology; Martín‐López et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceived contributions of multifunctional landscapes to human well‐being: Evidence from 13 European sites

et al. 2020

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Multifunctional landscapes provide critical benefits and are essential for human well‐being. The relationship between multifunctional landscapes and well‐being has mostly been studied using ecosystem services as a linkage. However, there is a challenge of concretizing what human well‐being exactly is and how it can be measured, particularly in relation to ecosystem services, landscape values and related discussions. In this paper, we measure self‐reported well‐being through applying an inductive free‐listing approach to the exploration of the relationships between landscape multifunctionality and human well‐being across 13 rural and peri‐urban sites in Europe. We developed a face‐to‐face online survey (n = 2,301 respondents) integrating subjective perceptions of well‐being (free‐listing method) with mapping perceived ecosystem service benefits (Public Participation GIS, PPGIS approach). Applying content analysis and diverse statistical methods, we explore the links between well‐being (i.e. perceived well‐being items such as tranquillity, social relations and health) and social‐ecological properties (i.e. respondents' sociocultural characteristics and perception of ecosystem service benefits). We identify 40 different well‐being items highlighting prominently landscape values. The items form five distinct clusters: access to services; tranquillity and social capital; health and nature; cultural landscapes; and place attachment. Each cluster is related to specific study sites and explained by certain social‐ecological properties. Results of our inductive approach further specify pre‐defined conceptualizations on well‐being and their connections to the natural environment. Results suggest that the well‐being contributions of multifunctional landscapes are connected to therapeutic well‐being effects, which are largely neglected in the ecosystem services literature. Our results further point to the context‐specific character of linkages between landscapes and human well‐being. The clusters highlight that landscape‐supported well‐being is related to multiple interlinked items that can inform collective visions of well‐being in the future. For landscape planning and management, we highlight the need for place‐specific analysis and consideration of perceptions of local people to identify the contributions to their well‐being. Future research would benefit from considering the experiential qualities of value and well‐being as they relate to direct experiences with the landscape and wider psychological needs, specifically over time. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

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“…A large number of prior studies have compared nature and urban experiences and the near universal finding among these studies is that natural green environments promote health and well-being (Choudhry et al, 2015;Hartig et al, 2014;Sandifer, Sutton-Grier & Ward, 2015;Wendelboe-Nelson, Kennedy & Cherrie, 2019). This near-universal finding supports that natural environments are generally enjoyed more than urban ones.…”

Section: Notesmentioning

confidence: 72%

A nature-based health intervention at a military healthcare center: a randomized, controlled, cross-over study

Ameli

Skeath²,

Abraham

et al. 2021

PeerJ

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We describe a mixed qualitative and quantitative research study in a military facility regarding the role of nature in well-being. Study intervention included two 20-minute walks. One walk was in an intentionally designed woodland environment (Green Road) and the other was on a busy campus road in a medical treatment facility (Urban Road). Twelve volunteers from a military facility participated in both walks in a cross-over experimental design. The two walking sessions were randomly ordered and preceded by pre-walk instructions appropriate to each road’s characteristics and incorporated focused attention and present moment orientation. A semi-structured post-walk interview, the primary outcome, was conducted after the conclusion of each walk. Qualitative data analyses consisted of sentiments and themes by using NVivo 12 software. The Green Road was unanimously rated as positive (100%). Responses to Urban Road were evenly distributed among positive (33.3%), negative (33.3%), and neutral/mixed (33.3%) sentiments. The Green Road yielded predominantly positive themes such as enjoyment of nature, relaxation, and feelings of privacy and safety. Urban Road produced significantly more negative themes such as concerns for safety, dislike of noise and other noxious experiences. Quantitative assessment of distress and mindfulness with Distress Thermometer (DT) and Mindful Attention Awareness Scale-state version (MAAS) demonstrated that a walk on the Green Road significantly decreased distress and increased mindfulness compared to a walk on the Urban Road. We also observed that pre-walk instructions could direct attention to both obvious and subtle elements of experience and enhance awareness. Results support the notion that an intentional nature-based environment may produce significantly more positive experiences and result in health-promoting benefits in a military health-care setting compared to an urban environment. Future studies with clinical populations could advance our understanding of the healing value of nature-based interventions. The impact of intentional green environments may be enhanced by well-designed instructions for both recreational and therapeutic use.

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A Scoping Review Mapping Research on Green Space and Associated Mental Health Benefits

Cited by 117 publications

References 350 publications

Urban street tree biodiversity and antidepressant prescriptions

Urban street tree biodiversity and antidepressant prescriptions

Perceived contributions of multifunctional landscapes to human well‐being: Evidence from 13 European sites

A nature-based health intervention at a military healthcare center: a randomized, controlled, cross-over study

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