The Well-Being of Allotment Gardeners: A Mixed Methodological Study

Abstract

). AbstractPurpose: The potential for 'green' interventions to promote mental wellbeing and reduce mental distress is increasingly being recognised. Preliminary evidence suggests that allotment gardening activities may have a significant effect on mental wellbeing, but a need for further research has been highlighted. This study investigated the relationships between allotment gardening, feeling connected to nature and wellbeing.Design: A mixed methods design was utilized. Measures of subjective wellbeing (quality of life), eudemonic wellbeing and connectedness to nature were administered 2 and qualitative data were collected via a cross-sectional online survey of 171 allotment gardeners in the United Kingdom.Findings: Allotment gardeners' eudemonic wellbeing and quality of life in the environmental domain were significantly higher than population means reported in the literature. Regression analysis showed that the amount of time gardeners spent on their allotment during summer predicted eudemonic wellbeing. This relationship was fully mediated by feelings of connectedness to nature. Four main themes emerged from the qualitative data: allotments provided a space of one's own, meaningful activity, increased feelings of connectedness, and improved physical and mental health. Conclusions:The results suggest that allotment gardening is associated with increased eudemonic wellbeing, but not subjective wellbeing. Furthermore, a mechanism through which allotment gardening enhances wellbeing is suggested: increased connectedness to nature. Limitations of the study and clinical and research implications are discussed.Keywords: allotment gardening, connectedness to nature, wellbeing, eudemonia. Allotment Gardening and WellbeingWith its roots within working class communities, allotments are typically small rented plots of horticultural land to grow fruits and vegetables for small scale, usually personal and family, consumption (Acton, 2011). Recently there has been a renewed interest in allotments, as people are increasingly opting for greener lifestyles (Wiltshire & Burn, 2008). A number of health and wellbeing benefits of allotment gardening have been claimed, including stress reduction, a sense of accomplishment and enjoyment (Hawkins, Mercer, Thirlaway & Clayton, 2013), and increased physical activity, relaxation and community cohesion (Hope & Ellis, 2009). However, despite the 3 growing interest in the wellbeing benefits of allotment gardening, research in this area is still in early stages.Much of the research into allotment gardening to date has been in the form of qualitative investigations of social and therapeutic horticulture for people with mental health difficulties. Fieldhouse (2003) reported participants experiences of social and therapeutic horticulture were consistent with both Kaplan's (1995) attention restoration theory (see below) and flow; a subjective psychological state accompanying absorption in an activity, characterised by self-motivation, enjoyment and feelings of self-worth and competence (Csi...

The Relationship Between Nature Connectedness and Eudaimonic Well-Being: A Meta-analysis

“…There is evidence that NC mediates the relationship between exposure to nature and EWB (Mayer et al 2009;Pensini et al 2016;Webber et al 2015), which would be consistent with a causal mechanism whereby nature exposure leads to increased NC, which in turn leads to improved EWB. However, another study has found that NC does not moderate the effect of nature exposure on EWB (as measured by elevating experience) (Passmore and Howell 2014), which implies that NC may not play a part in promoting EWB.…”

“…Correlational studies have shown that NC is associated with a variety of eudaimonic well-being indicators, such as autonomy, vitality, meaning, and personal growth (Cervinka et al 2012;Nisbet and Zelenski 2013;Pensini et al 2016), as well as with hedonic wellbeing (Capaldi et al 2014). There is some evidence that NC may mediate the relationship between exposure to nature and well-being (Mayer et al 2009;Webber et al 2015;Pensini et al 2016), but the evidence is not consistent as other studies have found that NC does not influence the relationship between nature exposure and wellbeing (Passmore and Howell 2014; Passmore and Holder 2017).…”

Exploring the Relationship between Suburban Allotment Gardening and Well-Being: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

“…There is a growing ecopsychology movement in Europe, based on the principle that this human connection to the earth is vital, both for the wellbeing of individuals and the survival of the planet (see Burls, 2007). Furthermore, recent quantitative research found that connectedness to nature mediated the positive relationship between time spent on the allotment and eudemonic wellbeing (Webber et al, 2015).…”

“…The researchers identified a need for further research into the public health potential of everyday allotment gardening. One subsequent study explored the relationship between allotment gardening and wellbeing through an online survey of 171 UK allotment gardeners (Webber, Hinds, & Camic, 2015). The findings indicated that time spent on the allotment is positively associated with eudemonic wellbeing (i.e.…”

Horticultural therapy in a psychiatric in-patient setting

“…There is additional evidence suggesting that several therapeutic goals, such as interaction levels and self-esteem, can be achieved by gardening activities (Rappe et al, 2008). These may have a positive role in the longer-term management of mental health, with 'green' interventions increasingly recognised in the promotion of well-being (Webber et al, 2015).…”