The effect of exposure to nature on children’s psychological well-being: A systematic review of the literature

Abstract

Over the last few decades, children have spent significantly less time actively engaged in nature-based outdoor activities compared to previous generations. This has corresponded with them increasingly suffering from a range of psychological problems. Studies have been undertaken to explore the notion that such problems can be mitigated to some extent through exposure to nature within the context of built environmental settings. While much of the literature in this area has focused on adult populations, this article provides a comprehensive review of recent studies addressing this topic targeting children aged 6–12 years old. From an initial search of the literature, a total of 1036 records were identified from which 40 studies addressing this topic were identified and analyzed. Our results show that most of these studies employed cross-sectional rather than longitudinal designs, and most identified positive psychological outcomes associated with children’s exposure to nature, with many yielding statistically significant yet weak to moderate outcomes. We further categorized studies into experimental or observational according to the research design. Observational studies primarily investigated the impact of the accessibility/quantity of natural environments within residential settings. Some experimental-based studies explored children’s active involvement in nature-based activities. In contrast, others investigated passive exposure to nature through views or visual stimuli used as surrogates of actual environments, many of which were conducted in school and public open-space settings. Most of the studies explored terrestrial, or green spaces, within the context of predominately built environments, with water-based settings (blue spaces) being underrepresented. Some differences in research focus and design were evident across different countries where the studies were undertaken. We conclude that further research is needed to unveil the associations between nature exposure and children’s psychological well-being to provide directions for future environmental design strategies, environmental education and policymaking.

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