Examining the effects of exposure to nature
This meta-analysis examined 30 years of published research examining the social, mental, and physical effects of exposure to nature, including urban nature. 14,168 studies were found matching the search criteria which was narrowed down to focus on 45 studies that included a total of 1,492 adult participants who were diagnosed with mental illness.
“We know nature plays an important role in human health, but behavioral health and health care providers often neglect to think about it as an intervention,” said Joanna Bettmann, a professor at the University of Utah College of Social Work and lead author of the study. “We set out to distill some evidence-based guidance for those providers.”
Some of these studies involved structured therapeutic interventions while others involved nature experiences alone. The amount of time spent in nature varied, with some spending as little as 10 minutes in a city park, while others spent multiple days in immersive wilderness settings. Some of the studies also involved interval exposure to nature with shorter durations, several times a week or month, and others had a longer duration of continuous immersive exposure to nature.
What they found
The analysis revealed that despite the different patterns and durations of exposure to nature all of the study settings produced positive results. The analysis also indicated that water-based outdoor spaces like rivers, lakes, oceans, and farming, camping, and gardening activities had the greatest positive effects. Although not as great, urban nature, mountains, and forests also had significant positive effects.
“All of these different types of outdoor spaces delivered positive results, which underscores the importance of preserving green spaces in our natural and built environments,” Bettmann said.
“Ten minutes in urban nature is far less intimidating, expensive and time-consuming for people who do not have the time, resources, interest, community support or equipment to venture into wilderness for days or weeks,” wrote the authors.
Mental health and natural resources
“The relationship between nature and mental health is all over the place. The interventions vary from study to study, and the outcomes therefore are also all over the place,” said Dorothy Schmalz, a professor who chairs the Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism. “The work that Joanna did here in bringing it all together and culling through it and really figuring out what the overall message seems to be is an incredibly valuable contribution to understanding what this connection is.”
Funding for the research came in part from Nature and Human Health Utah, a nonprofit established by Schmalz and other Utah faculty to explore ways to bridge the gap between nature and health. The researchers noted that with all of the natural greenspaces in Utah, it represents the perfect location to put this knowledge into practice and figure out how the natural environment affects human health and well-being.
“Here we are surrounded by all these extraordinary natural resources,” Schmalz said, “and having this kind of knowledge to work nature into behavioral and mental health can help make Utah a place that’s known for taking advantage of the outdoors to be healthy mentally, physically and emotionally.”
Why this is important
Recent data indicates that 1 in 8 people has some form of mental illness, which has a cost on overall quality of life as well as a significant economic impact. This makes it important to find affordable and accessible mental health support to promote public health that is outside of conventional facilities.
Regardless of the type of mental illness, exposure to nature was found to have statistically significant short-term improvements in participants’ mental health symptoms. Additionally, the positive effects of nature were even greater among those who were diagnosed with mood disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder.
“Going for a short walk or taking a camping trip should not necessarily be thought of as a replacement for other therapeutic or clinical interventions,” Bettmann cautioned. “Rather, we should consider time in nature as an inexpensive, widely-available resource to support adults’ mental health and overall well-being.”
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References/Sources/Materials provided by:
https://attheu.utah.edu/facultystaff/your-therapist-wants-you-to-go-outside/
