The Restorative Effect of the Natural Environment on University Students' Psychological Health

Author(s)
Payne, Emma A
Loi, Natasha M
Thorsteinsson, Einar B
Publication Date
2020-05-08
Abstract
The present study evaluated the effect of a three-week intervention aimed at improving psychological health in university students. Participants included 200 Australian students randomly assigned to an experimental or waitlist control group, with 42 adhering to intervention instructions. Participants in the experimental group read a story about someone who used the natural environment to decrease stress and burnout levels and to increase their perceived satisfaction with life. They were then instructed to spend 20 minutes each week, for three weeks, in any chosen natural environment. Waitlist control participants received intervention instructions three weeks later. Restorativeness was positively associated with life satisfaction and negatively related to stress and burnout. Experimental participants, compared to waitlist control participants, experienced a significant decrease in stress; however, the intervention had no effect on life satisfaction or burnout. More research is still needed to determine the practical significance of nature exposure on university students’ psychological health.
Citation
Journal of Environmental and Public Health, v.2020, p. 1-9
ISSN
1687-9813
1687-9805
Pubmed ID
32454841
Link
Language
en
Publisher
Hindawi Limited
Rights
Attribution 4.0 International
Title
The Restorative Effect of the Natural Environment on University Students' Psychological Health
Type of document
Journal Article
Entity Type
Publication

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