Nature-based biopsychosocial resilience: An integrative theoretical framework for research on nature and health

White, Mathew P.; Hartig, Terry; Martin, Leanne; Pahl, Sabine; van den Berg, Agnes E.; Wells, Nancy M.; Costongs, Caroline; Dzhambov, Angel.M.; Elliott, Lewis R.; Godfrey, Alba; Hartl, Arnulf; Konijnendijk, Cecil; Litt, Jill S.; Lovell, Rebecca; Lymeus, Freddie; O'Driscoll, Colm; Pichler, Christina; Pouso, Sarai; Razani, Nooshin; Secco, Laura; Steininger, Maximilian O.; Stigsdotter, Ulrika K.; Uyarra, Maria; van den Bosch, Matilda

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2023.108234

Cited by 33 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 285 publications

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“…Most of the current research on campus green space focuses on external spatial features, proving the influence of spatial features such as area and accessibility on mental health. However, there is a lack of research that explores the inner transformative mechanisms of green space and mental health from a subjective psychological perspective [12,13]. Social ecology emphasizes that the impact of the environment on human health is not independent but is influenced by a number of mediating effects [8].…”

Section: Of 28mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Green Space on University Students’ Mental Health: The Mediating Roles of Solitude Competence and Perceptual Restoration

Zhang,

Jin,

Liang

2024

Sustainability

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With the prevalence of mental health problems among college students, perceptual recovery and the sensory dimensions of perception (PSD) have emerged as crucial environment-related factors for psychological well-being. However, there has been relatively limited research on how these factors directly and indirectly impact the restoration experience of college students in green spaces on campuses. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the influence of college students’ intrinsic motivation on their psychological well-being when exposed to campus green spaces. Special attention was given to the role of solitude and perceptual recovery in this process. Research Methodology: Based on a literature review and field research, we classified campus green spaces into eight types based on perceptual dimensions. We collected 550 questionnaires on campus, and the data processing involved structural equation modeling (SEM) and mediation analysis. Findings: A positive correlation was found between perceived sensory dimensions and the recovery experience. College students’ perceptual recovery and ability to be alone emerged as mediating variables in this process. In essence, this study sheds light on the mechanism through which intrinsic motivation impacts the mental health of college students when they engage with campus green spaces.

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Section: Of 28mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Green Space on University Students’ Mental Health: The Mediating Roles of Solitude Competence and Perceptual Restoration

Zhang,

Jin,

Liang

2024

Sustainability

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“…A general limitation of the extant literature on green space and healthcare outcomes is the lack of a coherent, dedicated conceptual framework integrated within the broader research on nature and health (Hartig et al, 2014;Markevych et al, 2017;Marselle et al, 2021;Astell-Burt et al, 2022;White et al, 2023). Such a framework is necessary to guide future research and support practical applications.…”

Section: A Conceptual Framework Of Green Space and Healthcare Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The economics of nature’s healing touch: A systematic review and conceptual framework of green space, pharmaceutical prescriptions, and healthcare expenditure associations

Patwary,

Bardhan,

Browning

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Green spaces play a crucial role in promoting sustainable and healthy lives. Recent evidence shows that green space also may reduce the need for healthcare, prescription medications, and associated costs. This systematic review provides the first comprehensive assessment of the available literature examining green space exposure and its associations with healthcare prescriptions and expenditures. We applied Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines to search MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science for observational studies published in English through May 6, 2023. A quality assessment of the included studies was conducted using the Office of Health Assessment and Translation (OHAT) tool, and the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) assessment was used to evaluate the overall quality of evidence. Our search retrieved 26 studies that met the inclusion criteria and were included in our review. Among these, 20 studies (77% of the total) showed beneficial associations of green space exposure with healthcare prescriptions or expenditures. However, most studies had risks of bias, and the overall strength of evidence for both outcomes was limited. Based on our findings and related bodies of literature, we present a conceptual framework to explain the possible associations and complex mechanisms underlying green space and healthcare outcomes. The framework differs from existing green space and health models by including upstream factors related to healthcare access (i.e., rurality and socioeconomic status), which may flip the direction of associations. Additional research with lower risks of bias is necessary to validate this framework and better understand the potential for green space to reduce healthcare prescriptions and expenditures.

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Exploring autonomous and controlled motivations for nature contact to maximise health benefits

Astell‐Burt,

Navakatikyan,

White

et al. 2024

People and Nature

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Increasing evidence indicates contact with nature supports mental, physical and social health. However, beyond a widely reported number of barriers to nature contact, the constellation of motivations for human contact with nature is under‐theorised and under‐studied. We begin to develop indicators of autonomous and controlled motivations for nature contact informed by self‐determination theory. These include intrinsic motivation (i.e. enjoyment), integrated regulation (alignment with identify and life goals), identified regulation (a means to an end), introjected regulation (emotional reasons like guilt avoidance) and external regulation (such as peer pressure). We compare these motivation indices in a nationally representative sample of 5082 adults in Australia in 2022 with the Nature Relatedness Scale (NR6), and also test associations between them and five outcomes: time spent in nature, smartphone use in nature, interest in nature prescriptions, physical activity and self‐rated health. Statistical analyses were adjusted for potential confounding. Results demonstrate people have complex mixtures of motivations with varying potency for visiting natural settings and the extent to which those motives are autonomous or controlled matters for what they do, and the benefits accrued. For example, our analyses show that more direct considerations of intrinsic, integrated and identified forms of autonomous motivation have superior explanatory power than the NR6 for time spent in nature, interest in nature prescriptions, adherence to physical activity recommendations and self‐rated health. External regulations emphasising peer approval were associated not only with no additional time in nature but also with more distractive activities when in natural environments, as defined by more smartphone and social media use while there. While introjected regulations emphasising guilt avoidance were associated with increased nature contact, they were similarly associated with time spent on smartphones and social media when in natural environments, which has been shown to undermine restoration. Synthesis and applications: We need to formally measure autonomous and controlled motivations for nature contact to better understand both why some people visit natural environments, and whether they are mindfully maximising the health benefits of those experiences. This will help to inform robust nature‐based interventions that are acceptable, effective and sustainable for everyone. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

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Nature-based biopsychosocial resilience: An integrative theoretical framework for research on nature and health

Cited by 33 publications

References 285 publications

The Impact of Green Space on University Students’ Mental Health: The Mediating Roles of Solitude Competence and Perceptual Restoration

The Impact of Green Space on University Students’ Mental Health: The Mediating Roles of Solitude Competence and Perceptual Restoration

The economics of nature’s healing touch: A systematic review and conceptual framework of green space, pharmaceutical prescriptions, and healthcare expenditure associations

Exploring autonomous and controlled motivations for nature contact to maximise health benefits

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