‘This Is What the Colour Green Smells Like!’: Urban Forest Bathing Improved Adolescent Nature Connection and Wellbeing

Abstract

Background: Research suggests that an early connection with nature can benefit wellbeing into adulthood. However, there is less research assessing whether adolescents benefit from formal nature connection interventions such as forest bathing (slow mindful nature walks). This research aimed to assess whether an urban nature connection intervention (called ParkBathe) could improve adolescents’ nature connection and wellbeing. Method: In an experimental repeated measures design, 44 adolescents sampled opportunistically from Scouts groups, completed surveys and interviews before and after experiencing an urban nature connection intervention. Results: Paired-samples t-tests between baseline and post-intervention survey scores revealed statistically significant improvements in anxiety (13% reduction); rumination (44% reduction); scepticism (17% reduction); nature connection (25% increase); and social connection (12% increase). The largest effect size was found for nature connection. Interviews revealed that before the session, participants had a mixed understanding and expectations of the intervention. Conclusions: After the session, the participants expressed enjoying the social aspects of being part of a group and being present in the moment by noticing nature. They expressed the effects of this as immediately calming and relaxing. Urban forest bathing improved nature connection and wellbeing in adolescents and could be implemented and/or signposted by schools and youth charities.

Forest Bathing Increases Adolescents’ Mental Well-Being: A Mixed-Methods Study

“…Practicing forest bathing three times had a large effect size (Hedges' g = 1.0) and further increased the participants' mean mental well-being by two points to 56.3 ± 4.0. These results align with previous forest bathing research involving adult [2,8,[11][12][13][14][15] and adolescent [71] participants.…”

“…Each stage is designed to create opportunities for embodiment, sensuality, and relationships [9,28]. This sequence of forest bathing, described later, includes many components that support practitioners in experiencing a healing connection with whatever natural environment they choose, although there is abundant evidence that other types of forest bathing practices provide well-being benefits [2,8,[11][12][13][14][15][49][50][51][52]71].…”

A Multi-Country Study Assessing the Mechanisms of Natural Elements and Sociodemographics behind the Impact of Forest Bathing on Well-Being

“…With respect to NC, our study found high ratings of the NC indicator INS following a FB with an NCA session. This result is consistent with previous research that has found associations between forest bathing and high scores in nature connection [75,76]. Furthermore, and with reference to the correlation between NC and a low arousal positive effect, our results contribute to existing research showing that connecting with nature elicits low arousal positive emotions.…”

Benefits of nature-based intervention in combating the impact of urbanization on psychopathology in industrialized societies

“…Each study compared depression and anxiety ratings postintervention with those obtained prior to the intervention. Out of these six studies, five were rated as fair quality [28 ▪ ,29 ▪ ,30 ▪▪ ,31,32 ▪ ], and only one received a good quality rating [33 ▪ ]. Various interventions included passive exposure and specific activities (e.g., walking or cycling in a forest) within a designated natural environment.…”