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Community Gardening: Stress, Well-Being, and Resilience Potentials

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  • Way Inn Koay

    (Department of Psychology, James Cook University Singapore, Singapore 387380, Singapore
    Department of Psychology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore 169608, Singapore)

  • Denise Dillon

    (Department of Psychology, James Cook University Singapore, Singapore 387380, Singapore)

Abstract

The financial and health burdens of stress associated with increased urbanization have led to a demand for mental health enhancement strategies. While some extant literature details mental health benefits of community gardening, a coherent narrative on the construct of resilience and its relationship with the mental health benefits of community gardening is lacking. The present study examined the relationship between community gardening and a number of mental health benefits, in the forms of subjective well-being, stress, resilience potentials, and resilience factors (self-esteem, optimism, and openness). A total of 111 residents in Singapore completed a survey. Results from Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) and Pearson’s correlation analyses show that, after controlling for age and levels of connection to nature, community gardeners reported significantly higher levels of subjective well-being than individual/home gardeners and non-gardeners, indicating that engagement in community gardening may be superior to individual/home gardening or non-gardening outdoor activities. Community gardeners reported higher levels of resilience and optimism than the non-gardening control group. These novel results indicate some potential for mental health benefits in urban environments, specifically in terms of subjective well-being and resilience. These findings have implications for future research in clinical psychology, mental health promotion, and policy.

Suggested Citation

  • Way Inn Koay & Denise Dillon, 2020. "Community Gardening: Stress, Well-Being, and Resilience Potentials," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-31, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:18:p:6740-:d:414239
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    Cited by:

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    3. Danni Feng & Quan Wang & Sufang Huang & Xiaorong Lang & Fengfei Ding & Wei Wang, 2022. "The Effect of Perceived Stress, Family Companionship, and Mental Health on the Subjective Happiness of Chinese Healthcare Workers: A Mixed Research Method," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-17, September.
    4. Francisco Tomatis & Monika Egerer & Adriana Correa-Guimaraes & Luis Manuel Navas-Gracia, 2023. "Urban Gardening in a Changing Climate: A Review of Effects, Responses and Adaptation Capacities for Cities," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-16, February.
    5. Zinka Kosec & Stella Sekulic & Susan Wilson-Gahan & Katja Rostohar & Matej Tusak & Marta Bon, 2022. "Correlation between Employee Performance, Well-Being, Job Satisfaction, and Life Satisfaction in Sedentary Jobs in Slovenian Enterprises," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-14, August.
    6. Megan E. Gerdes & Lucy A. Aistis & Naomi A. Sachs & Marcus Williams & Jennifer D. Roberts & Rachel E. Rosenberg Goldstein, 2022. "Reducing Anxiety with Nature and Gardening (RANG): Evaluating the Impacts of Gardening and Outdoor Activities on Anxiety among U.S. Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-20, April.

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