Rationale, Feasibility, and Acceptability of the Meeting in Nature Together (MINT) Program: A Novel Nature-Based Social Intervention for Loneliness Reduction with Teen Parents and Their Peers

Abstract

Recently, there has been an increase in feelings of loneliness and mental health conditions among adolescents. Within this population, parenting teens are at an increased risk for these conditions. Outdoor experiences are shown to be an antidote to loneliness and a way to promote social connectedness by amplifying the processes for supporting social relationships. In 2020–2021, we piloted the 8-week Meeting in Nature Together program (MINT) at a charter school for pregnant and parenting teenagers in Colorado, USA. MINT aimed to promote relatedness and nature connection for students ages 14 to 19. MINT included online and in-person group meetings with educational content, creative activities, discussion, park excursions, mindfulness activities, journaling, and nature photography. Here, we ask, can a school-level nature-based social intervention reduce loneliness among pregnant and parenting teens by promoting and sustaining social connections? How acceptable is MINT to participants? Methods included audiovisual recording transcriptions, surveys, and observation field notes. Results suggest that MINT fostered social connections through a tailored nature-based intervention delivered to a typically isolated community in culturally sensitive, developmentally appropriate ways. MINT proved feasible and effective as participants reported high levels of satisfaction and interest in continuing to engage in activities promoted in MINT.

Effects of Sound Source Landscape in Urban Forest Park on Alleviating Mental Stress of Visitors: Evidence from Huolu Mountain Forest Park, Guangzhou

“…The acoustic environment consists of multiple sound sources, and understanding the effects of several typical sound sources on stress relief was the focus of this study. The restorative evaluation of stress relief is influenced by psychological and physiological factors [11]. The soundscape study in this paper focuses on the soundscape in an urban forest park, including objective sound environment indicators, soundscape perception evaluation indicators and emotional indicator features, to explore the potential positive soundscape in urban Morley Park and to discover the relationship between a high-quality soundscape and stress recuperation in city Morley Park, so that the positive soundscape features can be utilized.…”

Exploring Mental Health Outcome Variables in Outdoor Adventure Education

“…For example, since many OAEE programs occur in the natural environment, the stress reduction that naturally occurs in this setting might enhance OAEE outcomes (Yao, Zhang, & Gong, 2021). Mental wellness variables, such as loneliness and body composition, have recently begun to gain traction in the eld, as is evident in the literature (Sachs et al, 2022;Widmer et al, 2022).…”