Insight from focus group interviews: adolescent girls’ well‐being in relation to experiences of winter, nature and seasonal changes in Northern Finland

Abstract

BackgroundAccording to previous studies, gender‐related differences have been found in relation to the experience of well‐being. There are also research results indicating that environment and seasonal variation have an influence on the well‐being.AimThe aim of the study was to describe how adolescent girls living in northern Finland experience nature, winter and seasonal changes and meaning of these to their well‐being.MethodsIn this descriptive, qualitative research, 17 girls aged 13–16 who live in northern Finland participated in five focus group interviews where they presented photographs of nature they took themselves. Participation for the girls was voluntary, and the data were analysed by using content analysis.FindingsThree main categories were found: winter which expresses participative and confrontational meanings, natural environment that provides meaningful stimulus and seasonal variations binding experiences. Winter had a dual effect on girls’ well‐being. Nature's healing elements were described by the girls as invigorating, varying and stimulating of a wide range of senses. Nature offered soothing and revitalising experiences for the girls. On the one hand, seasonal changes were seen as a refreshing change, but on the other hand, the changes were described oppressive and burdensome.ConclusionThe girls described how they experienced the multiple elements of nature and environment through different senses. These sensations and feelings seem to transport the girls to a larger experience in which nature and seasonal changes were partially elements that fulfilled the girls’ needs but also required adaptation.Relevance to clinical practiceThis experiential description encourages us to develop new means of promotive actions and brings a novel perspective and understanding about how to incorporate and implement these findings to enhance girls’ well‐being. Findings from this study need to be understood in this particular context in northern Finland among adolescent girls.

Enhancing Adolescent Girls’ Well-Being in the Arctic—Finding What Motivates Spending Time in Nature

“…Secondary analysis was chosen for this descriptive work because it enabled us to address what had jointly emerged from the three data sets; specifically, it provided an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of adolescent girls' well-being and highlight previously unreported results on motivation to spend time in nature. As a result of the study, a new research question was formulated (Figure 1) on the basis of the data from the original, primary studies [37][38][39][40].…”

“…Both seem to have parallel effects on wellbeing; therefore, interest in researching their common underlying mechanisms has increased [35,36]. Natural environments' influences on the well-being of children, young people and especially adolescent girls [37][38][39][40] have received relatively little attention, most commonly from a mental health perspective [41,42].…”

“…Northern Finland's habitat poses certain challenges to well-being, so it was relevant to focus specifically on the Arctic environment that had not been studied before. We had descriptions from the primary research of what affects adolescent girls' well-being in the northern environment, and nature was perceived positively [37][38][39][40]. Therefore, this study's research question is to determine what motivates adolescent girls to spend time in nature.…”