A systematic map of research exploring the effect of greenspace on mental health

Collins, Rebecca M.; Spake, Rebecca; Brown, Kerry A.; Ogutu, Booker; Smith, Dianna; Eigenbrod, Felix

doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2020.103823

Cited by 133 publications

(84 citation statements)

References 87 publications

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“…Urban greenspace has a positive benefit on people experiencing mental ill health 11 , 13 – 15 . The focus of much of this work has been on exposure to the quantity of generic urban greenspace 14 , 16 , 17 often measured using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) 17 or the density of tree canopy 11 , 18 . Far less work has examined the influence of specific types 14 , 16 , 17 or ecological quality 14 , 16 , 17 , 19 , 20 —e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Far less work has examined the influence of specific types 14 , 16 , 17 or ecological quality 14 , 16 , 17 , 19 , 20 —e.g. tree species richness 16 —of urban greenspace on mental health. As mental health outcomes are influenced by the type of environment 21 , 22 and its ecological quality 19 , more knowledge is needed on the types and ecological qualities of the urban greenspace that have a benefit for mental health 16 , 23 , 24 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Urban street tree biodiversity and antidepressant prescriptions

Marselle

Bowler

Watzema

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

139

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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%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urban street tree biodiversity and antidepressant prescriptions

Marselle

Bowler

Watzema

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

139

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Recent reviews have suggested that greenspace exposure is associated with improved mental health in both children and adults [4][5][6]. Theories for positive associations between mental a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 health and greenspace include (1) reducing harm (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of dynamic greenspace exposure on symptomatology in individuals with schizophrenia

et al. 2020

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There are currently many tools available for capturing and defining the context of one's environment. Digital phenotyping, the use of technology and sensors to capture moment-tomoment behavior, has shown potential in quantifying the lived experience of mental illness and in the identification of individualized targets related to recovery. Environmental data suggests that greenspace may have a restorative capacity on mental health. In this paper, we explore the relationship of greenspace derived from geolocation with self-reported symptomatology from individuals with schizophrenia as well as healthy controls. Individuals with schizophrenia had less exposure to greenspace than controls, but their exposure demonstrated a dosage effect: high greenspace environments were associated with lower symptoms for anxiety (Cohen's d =-0.70), depression (d =-0.97), and psychosis (d =-0.94), whereas effect sizes for healthy controls were all negligible or small (d < 0.38). The notion that greenspace may have a more pronounced effect on individuals with mental illness presents both potential areas for recovery as well as implications for health care policy, especially in cities with a broad range of greenspace environments.

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“…There also exist some fundamental issues in the conceptualisation of nature (or, indeed, green/blue space), alongside issues resultant from Western bias (such as the temperate northern hemisphere and Western cultural foci, with the exception of the literature on Japanese culture and its relation to nature), and more specifically as consequence of perspective, an under-consideration of individual or contextual factors (Frumkin et al, 2017;Kabisch et al, 2015;Kondo, Fluehr, et al, 2018). Further, there are suggestions that too many studies focus on quantity of greenspace, rather than its quality (Collins et al, 2020). These issues are not necessarily discipline-or perspective-specific, and many pervade across the literature relating to health and wellbeing, even in the more interdisciplinary research seen in recent years (Hunter & Luck, 2015).…”

Section: Existing Issues Within the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Moving towards a multidimensional dynamic approach to nature and health: A bioavailability perspective. Theoretical paper with full literature review.

Sumner¹,

Cassarino²,

Setti³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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There exists a general assumption that nature will be beneficial to all in all ways. However, there are fundamental issues apparent in the lack of accord across conceptual as well as definitional aspects, for example, even within the definition of what “nature” means; and there are inconsistencies in empirical findings. Recent work has sought to establish one dose or type of nature exposure that is universally beneficial, which has proven difficult. We argue for a change of focus to look beyond generalised effects, to instead consider the relationship between health and nature as dynamic, changeable, and heavily contextual. We propose a framework for understanding the nature/health association as a dynamic interaction, and operationalise this within a multidimensional construct of dose. By delineating the mechanisms of health benefit derived from specific types of behavioural interaction (being, doing, living), nature interactions may be highly variable not just between but also within individuals.

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A systematic map of research exploring the effect of greenspace on mental health

Cited by 133 publications

References 87 publications

Urban street tree biodiversity and antidepressant prescriptions

Urban street tree biodiversity and antidepressant prescriptions

Impact of dynamic greenspace exposure on symptomatology in individuals with schizophrenia

Moving towards a multidimensional dynamic approach to nature and health: A bioavailability perspective. Theoretical paper with full literature review.

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