Journal article
The nature of a pandemic: Testing the relationship between access to nature, nature relatedness, wellbeing and belonging in nature using polynomial regression with response surface analysis
Journal of environmental psychology, Vol.85, p.101949
02/2023
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2022.101949
Abstract
Past research has found that spending time in nature fosters increased wellbeing across both physical and mental health (Brymer et al., 2014; Hartig et al., 2011), and many theories suggest that participation in nature is something that carries similar benefits for all people (Kaplan & Kaplan, 1989). During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of outdoor recreation and leisure increased significantly given that it offered a space for interaction, community, and enjoyment with decreased risk of transmission. Amidst COVID-19, nature offers wellbeing that could help individuals cope with the added anxiety, isolation and uncertainty amongst the pandemic. However, it is likely that not all individuals had similar access to this benefit, but little research has explored if this is the case. This study examines wellbeing outcomes and one's sense of belonging to a natural place as they relate to one's nature relatedness and access to nature. We hypothesized that the highest wellbeing benefit would be associated with those who had both high access to nature and high nature relatedness scores, and lowest for those without access to nature. Survey data from 558 participants was used to test these hypotheses. We implemented two polynomial regressions with response surface analysis to examine the congruent and discrepant effects of nature relatedness and access to nature on both wellbeing and belonging in nature. Findings suggest that those with the most access to nature and higher nature relatedness experience higher rates of wellbeing and a stronger sense of belonging to natural spaces.
•There exists a strong relationship between spending time in nature and wellbeing for physical and mental health outcomes.•Discrimination is enacted in natural spaces which create barriers of access to individuals who hold minoritized identities.•During the COVID-19 pandemic, nature became a unique source of wellbeing. Little research has examined access as a factor.•Survey data from 558 participants was examined using polynomial regression with response surface analysis.•Findings show that those with high access to nature experienced higher rates of wellbeing and a stronger sense of belonging to natural spaces.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- The nature of a pandemic: Testing the relationship between access to nature, nature relatedness, wellbeing and belonging in nature using polynomial regression with response surface analysis
- Creators
- Christopher Anders - Department of Psychological and Quantitative Foundations, University of Iowa, 361 Lindquist Center, Iowa City, IA, 52240, USAIsaac Hooley - Department of Psychological and Quantitative Foundations, University of Iowa, USAD. Martin Kivlighan - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of environmental psychology, Vol.85, p.101949
- Publisher
- Elsevier Ltd
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jenvp.2022.101949
- ISSN
- 0272-4944
- eISSN
- 1522-9610
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 02/2023
- Academic Unit
- Psychiatry; Internal Medicine; Psychological and Quantitative Foundations; Counselor Education
- Record Identifier
- 9984360154402771
Metrics
60 Record Views