GREEN SPACES AND MENTAL HEALTH: DOES FREQUENCY OF USE OR PROXIMITY AFFECT SUBJECTIVE WELLBEING AND PERCEIVED STRESS?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20319/pijss.2019.43.786798Keywords:
Green Spaces, Perceived Stress, Well-being, UrbanizationAbstract
Urbanization is essential for economic growth; however, it has a negative effect on the environment and the psychological health of the population. Urban green spaces help in the reduction of air and noise pollution while increasing people’s wellbeing through social interactions and creating an outdoor space for physical activity. Due to the rapid urbanization of the United Arab Emirates, the research on green spaces in this region is fundamental. The study included two hypotheses: 1) Greater proximity and frequency of use results in lower perceived stress and 2) Greater proximity and frequency of use leads to greater wellbeing. The results yielded non-significant for proximity to green spaces and stress and wellbeing. However, frequency of use showed a significant correlation. Additionally, the researchers explored the most common uses of green spaces and suggestions that would increase the frequency of use through open-ended questions. The results could be a manifestation of the Attention Restoration Theory and Biophilia Theory.
References
Alcock, I., White, M. P., Wheeler, B. W., Fleming, L. E., & Depledge, M. H. (2014). Longitudinal effects on mental health of moving to greener and less green urban areas. Environmental science & technology, 48(2), 1247-1255. https://doi.org/10.1021/es403688w
American Psychological Association (2017). The State of our Nation. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2017/state-nation.pdf
Barton, J., & Rogerson, M. (2017). The importance of greenspace for mental health. BJPsych international, 14(4), 79-81. https://doi.org/10.1192/S2056474000002051
Braubach, M. (2017). Preventive applications of the therapeutic landscapes concept in urban residential settings: a quantitative application. In Therapeutic landscapes (pp. 137-158). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315551166-8
Caddick, N., & Smith, B. (2014). The impact of sport and physical activity on the well-being of combat veterans: A systematic review. Psychology of sport and exercise, 15(1), 9-18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2013.09.011
Capaldi, C. A., Dopko, R. L., & Zelenski, J. M. (2014). The relationship between nature connectedness and happiness: a meta-analysis. Frontiers in psychology, 5, 976. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00976
Coldwell, D. F., & Evans, K. L. (2018). Visits to urban green-space and the countryside associate with different components of mental well-being and are better predictors than perceived or actual local urbanisation intensity. Landscape and Urban Planning, 175, 114-122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2018.02.007
Diener E, Suh EM, Lucas RE, Smith HL. Subjective well-being: Three decades of progress. Psychological bulletin. 1999;125(2):276. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.125.2.276
Elessawy, F. M. (2017). The Boom: Population and Urban Growth of Dubai City.
Fazli, R. F., & Faridi, R. A. (2016). Population in GCC Countries: Challenges and Opportunities. in A. Rehman(ed.), West Asiain Transition;Issues, Perspective and Global Concerns, Academic Excellence, New Delhi, ISBN: 978-93-83246-04-5.
Foster, C., Hillsdon, M., Jones, A., Grundy, C., Wilkinson, P., White, M., ... & Thorogood, M. (2009). Objective measures of the environment and physical activity—results of the environment and physical activity study in English adults. Journal of physical activity and health, 6(s1), S70-S80. https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.6.s1.s70
Hand, K. L., Freeman, C., Seddon, P. J., Recio, M. R., Stein, A., & van Heezik, Y. (2017). The importance of urban gardens in supporting children's biophilia. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(2), 274-279. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1609588114
Hazer, M., Formica, M. K., Dieterlen, S., & Morley, C. P. (2018). The relationship between self-reported exposure to greenspace and human stress in Baltimore, MD. Landscape and Urban Planning, 169, 47-56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2017.08.006
HealthData.org (2016) Retrieved from http://www.healthdata.org/united-arab-emirates
Kabisch, N., & Haase, D. (2014). Green justice or just green? Provision of urban green spaces in Berlin, Germany. Landscape and Urban Planning, 122, 129-139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2013.11.016
Kaplan, S. (1995). The restorative benefits of nature: Toward an integrative framework. Journal of environmental psychology, 15(3), 169-182. https://doi.org/10.1016/0272-4944(95)90001-2
Lafortezza, R., Carrus, G., Sanesi, G., & Davies, C. (2009). Benefits and well-being perceived by people visiting green spaces in periods of heat stress. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 8(2), 97-108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2009.02.003
Lumber, R., Richardson, M., & Sheffield, D. (2017). Beyond knowing nature: Contact, emotion, compassion, meaning, and beauty are pathways to nature connection. PloS one, 12(5), e0177186. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0177186
Maas, J., Van Dillen, S. M., Verheij, R. A., & Groenewegen, P. P. (2009). Social contacts as a possible mechanism behind the relation between green space and health. Health & place, 15(2), 586-595. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2008.09.006
Mental Health Foundation (2018). Retrieved from https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/statistics/mental-health-statistics-stress
Steptoe, A., Deaton, A., & Stone, A. A. (2014). Ageing 4 Subjective wellbeing, health, and ageing.
Parliamentary Office of Science & Technology (2016) Green Space and Health. researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/POST-PN-0538/POST-PN-0538.pdf
Peen, J., Schoevers, R. A., Beekman, A. T., & Dekker, J. (2010). The current status of urban‐rural differences in psychiatric disorders. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 121(2), 84-93. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0447.2009.01438.x
Shalev, I. (2016). Pictorial and mental arid landscape images reduce the motivation to change negative habits. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 45, 30-39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2015.11.005
Stress and Heart Health. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/stress-and-heart-health
Tamizifar, R., & Tamizifar, M. (2018). Changes in values and its relationship with subjective welfare (Case study of three generations in Iran). PEOPLE: International Journal of Social Sciences, 3(3), 1519-1537. https://doi.org/10.20319/pijss.2018.33.15191537 https://doi.org/10.20319/pijss.2018.33.14971515
Yadav, S., Ghosh, V., & Kumar, I. (2018). Impact of Perceived Stress on General Health: A study on engineering students. PEOPLE: International Journal of Social Sciences, 4(2), 1347-1363. https://dx.doi.org/10.20319/pijss.2018.42.13471363
Ward Thompson, C., Aspinall, P., Roe, J., Robertson, L., & Miller, D. (2016). Mitigating stress and supporting health in deprived urban communities: The importance of green space and the social environment. International journal of environmental research and public health, 13(4), 440. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph13040440
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2019 Authors
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
