Study on the Impact of Residential Outdoor Environments on Mood in the Elderly in Guangzhou, China

In recent years, the interest in the relationship between urban green space and residents’ mental health has gradually risen. A number of researchers have investigated the causal relationship and possible mediators between the two, although few have summarized these mediators. For this reason, we searched for relevant studies and filtered them by criteria and quality score, and analyzed the mediators and paths of the impact of urban green space on residents’ mental health. The mediators can be divided into environmental factors, outdoor activity, and social cohesion. From the perspective of heterogeneity, both individual characteristics (e.g., age and gender) and group characteristics (e.g., level of urban development and urban density) of residents are considered to be the cause of various mediating effects. Types of urban green space tend to affect residents’ mental health through different paths. Furthermore, this review discusses the details of each part under the influence paths. Finally, the policy implications for urban green space planning from three mediator levels are put forward based on an analysis of the situation in different countries.

“…For the elderly, those living in low-quality housing have a stronger demand for green space. They are more likely be affected by light, smell, greenness, temperature, and humidity [95].…”

Section: The Heterogenous Effect Of Environmental Factormentioning

confidence: 99%

How Does Urban Green Space Impact Residents’ Mental Health: A Literature Review of Mediators

Kai-li

Zhang

Liu

et al. 2021

“…Furthermore, a growing body of study has suggested that a built environment is related to traits of psychological well-being such as mood, anxiety, and depression [ 33 , 34 , 35 ]. For example, Wang et al found that older people living in a walkable community were more likely to report a positive mood than those who are living in a community with poor walkability [ 36 ].…”

Section: Literature Review and Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Serial Mediation of Environmental Preference and Place Attachment in the Relationship between Perceived Street Walkability and Mood of the Elderly

Chen

Luo

Kang

et al. 2020

Self Cite

Urban streets are important public spaces for daily activities that play a crucial role in promoting health in the elderly. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between perceived street walkability and mood in the elderly, and specifically, the mediating effect of environmental preference and place attachment. We surveyed a total of 269 elderly residents from six streets in Guangzhou, China. We collected assessments of the street environments, environmental preferences, place attachment, and mood status from the elderly. A serial multiple mediator model was constructed using the structural equation modeling method. The results showed that the perceived street walkability was sequentially associated first with an increased level of place attachment (β = 0.798, SE = 0.358, p < 0.000) and then environmental preference (β = 0.191, SE = 0.033, p = 0.038), which was in turn related to improvement of positive mood in the elderly (β = 0.595 SE = 0.341, p < 0.000). Environmental preference alone was found to be significantly associated with positive mood (β = 0.595, SE = 0.341, p < 0.000), while no significant effect of place attachment was found when considered individually (β = −0.075, SE = 0.089, p = 0.395). These findings provide a greater understanding of the possible mechanism through which street environment impacts mood in the elderly. Therefore, when promoting the emotional experience of the elderly, we might consider not only physical environment factors but also psychological conditions in street environments.

“…Pacione analyzed the impact of personal and family characteristics such as age, income, education and physical health on mental health [ 9 ]. In addition, many research studies have considered the impact of green landscape on the emotions of the elderly [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]. Chen Chongxian found that different quality environments in built residences have different influencing factors on the emotion of the elderly [ 14 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, many research studies have considered the impact of green landscape on the emotions of the elderly [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]. Chen Chongxian found that different quality environments in built residences have different influencing factors on the emotion of the elderly [ 14 ]. Grahn and Zhou Suhong reported that the community environment affects residents’ way of thinking and behaviour, thus affecting their mental health [ 15 , 18 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Influence of Emotional Health on the Activity Characteristics of the Elderly and the Selection of Environmental Quality Factors in Residential Areas

Zhong

Suo

Ren

2021

The environment in urban residential areas is the main field of daily activity for the elderly. Environmental renewal has played a significant role in improving residents’ quality of life and promoting physical and mental health. However, there is a general tendency that more attention has been focused on the environment during environmental renewal but not the residents. There is a continued lack of discussion on the emotional status of the elderly and its impact on outdoor activities. Based on the investigation of four types of typical residential environments in the Dalian residential area, a hierarchical linear model (HLM) has been constructed to reveal the influence of the emotional status of elderly persons on their activity characteristics and the selection of environmental quality factors. The results show that the distribution of older people with different emotional statuses varies among different residential types. The proportion of positive emotion is relatively high in the flat land in rows category, and the activity characteristics are significantly different under different emotional statuses. Among the four kinds of residential environments, which are (flat land in rows, flat land enclosed, slope, and mountainous) the environmental quality factors that have the highest impact on the emotional status of the elderly are greening quality (0.395), acoustic environment (0.167), environmental cleanliness (0.269), and greening quality (0.230), respectively. In the mountainous type, the impact of environmental quality factors on the emotional status of the elderly is the highest (39.7%), and the impact contributions of the other three environmental types are 23.3%, 8.9% and 20.1%, respectively. These research results provide helpful guidance for the scientific community about practical implementation of residential environmental renewal for the elderly.