IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i10p5146-d553442.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Life Course Nature Exposure and Mental Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Future Directions

Author

Listed:
  • Dongying Li

    (Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA)

  • Tess Menotti

    (Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA)

  • Yizhen Ding

    (Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA)

  • Nancy M. Wells

    (Department of Design and Environmental Analysis, College of Human Ecology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA)

Abstract

Recently, an emerging body of literature has examined the relationships between early life nature exposure and mental health in later life; however, no critical synthesis yet exists regarding the extent and strength of these relationships. This study presents the first systematic review of studies in this growing area. Following the PRISMA framework, we searched six databases (i.e., Scopus, Web of Science, MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and CINAHL); conducted identification, screening, eligibility, and inclusion analyses; and identified a final set of 29 articles. The review set comprises primarily longitudinal studies, with several cross-sectional studies using retrospective measures of childhood nature exposure. The majority of included studies were published between 2016 and 2020 and conducted in Europe and North America. Five domains of mental health outcomes are associated with early-life nature exposure: incidence of mental disorders, psychiatric symptoms and emotions, conduct problems in children, cognitive function, and subjective well-being. The evidence lends support to an overall beneficial role of early nature exposure on mental health, although inconsistencies are reported. Taken together, the evidence does not suggest that exposure at any given life stage is more saliently associated with mental health outcomes than at others. We discuss the validity concerns and methodological remedies and offer directions for future research.

Suggested Citation

  • Dongying Li & Tess Menotti & Yizhen Ding & Nancy M. Wells, 2021. "Life Course Nature Exposure and Mental Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Future Directions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-28, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:10:p:5146-:d:553442
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/10/5146/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/10/5146/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Elizabeth W. Holt & Quinn K. Lombard & Noelle Best & Sara Smiley-Smith & John E. Quinn, 2019. "Active and Passive Use of Green Space, Health, and Well-Being amongst University Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-13, February.
    2. Myriam Preuß & Mark Nieuwenhuijsen & Sandra Marquez & Marta Cirach & Payam Dadvand & Margarita Triguero-Mas & Christopher Gidlow & Regina Grazuleviciene & Hanneke Kruize & Wilma Zijlema, 2019. "Low Childhood Nature Exposure is Associated with Worse Mental Health in Adulthood," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-18, May.
    3. Kerry Dwan & Douglas G Altman & Juan A Arnaiz & Jill Bloom & An-Wen Chan & Eugenia Cronin & Evelyne Decullier & Philippa J Easterbrook & Erik Von Elm & Carrol Gamble & Davina Ghersi & John P A Ioannid, 2008. "Systematic Review of the Empirical Evidence of Study Publication Bias and Outcome Reporting Bias," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 3(8), pages 1-31, August.
    4. Hanna Weimann & Jonas Björk & Carita Håkansson, 2019. "Experiences of the Urban Green Local Environment as a Factor for Well-Being among Adults: An Exploratory Qualitative Study in Southern Sweden," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(14), pages 1-14, July.
    5. Sarah L. Bell & Benedict W. Wheeler & Cassandra Phoenix, 2017. "Using Geonarratives to Explore the Diverse Temporalities of Therapeutic Landscapes: Perspectives from “Green” and “Blue” Settings," Annals of the American Association of Geographers, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 107(1), pages 93-108, January.
    6. David Moher & Alessandro Liberati & Jennifer Tetzlaff & Douglas G Altman & The PRISMA Group, 2009. "Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(7), pages 1-6, July.
    7. Alan P. Diduck & Christopher M. Raymond & Romina Rodela & Robert Moquin & Morrissa Boerchers, 2020. "Pathways of learning about biodiversity and sustainability in private urban gardens," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 63(6), pages 1056-1076, May.
    8. Daise Fernanda Santos Souza Escobar & Thais Ferreira de Jesus & Priscilla Rayanne e Silva Noll & Matias Noll, 2020. "Family and School Context: Effects on the Mental Health of Brazilian Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-13, August.
    9. Victoria Houlden & Scott Weich & João Porto de Albuquerque & Stephen Jarvis & Karen Rees, 2018. "The relationship between greenspace and the mental wellbeing of adults: A systematic review," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(9), pages 1-35, September.
    10. Jenny J. Roe & Catharine Ward Thompson & Peter A. Aspinall & Mark J. Brewer & Elizabeth I. Duff & David Miller & Richard Mitchell & Angela Clow, 2013. "Green Space and Stress: Evidence from Cortisol Measures in Deprived Urban Communities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-18, September.
    11. Bell, Sarah L. & Phoenix, Cassandra & Lovell, Rebecca & Wheeler, Benedict W., 2015. "Seeking everyday wellbeing: The coast as a therapeutic landscape," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 56-67.
    12. Mark P.C. Cherrie & Niamh K. Shortt & Catharine Ward Thompson & Ian J. Deary & Jamie R. Pearce, 2019. "Association Between the Activity Space Exposure to Parks in Childhood and Adolescence and Cognitive Aging in Later Life," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-13, February.
    13. Daise Fernanda Santos Souza Escobar & Priscilla Rayanne e Silva Noll & Thaís Ferreira de Jesus & Matias Noll, 2020. "Assessing the Mental Health of Brazilian Students Involved in Risky Behaviors," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-14, May.
    14. Daniel T. C. Cox & Danielle F. Shanahan & Hannah L. Hudson & Richard A. Fuller & Karen Anderson & Steven Hancock & Kevin J. Gaston, 2017. "Doses of Nearby Nature Simultaneously Associated with Multiple Health Benefits," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-13, February.
    15. Po-Wen Ku & Kenneth R. Fox & Li-Jung Chen, 2016. "Leisure-Time Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviors and Subjective Well-Being in Older Adults: An Eight-Year Longitudinal Research," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 127(3), pages 1349-1361, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Elisabetta Ricciardi & Giuseppina Spano & Antonella Lopez & Luigi Tinella & Carmine Clemente & Giuseppe Elia & Payam Dadvand & Giovanni Sanesi & Andrea Bosco & Alessandro Oronzo Caffò, 2022. "Long-Term Exposure to Greenspace and Cognitive Function during the Lifespan: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-24, September.
    2. Nancy M. Wells & Nilda Graciela Cosco & Derek Hales & Muntazar Monsur & Robin C. Moore, 2023. "Gardening in Childcare Centers: A Randomized Controlled Trial Examining the Effects of a Garden Intervention on Physical Activity among Children Aged 3–5 Years in North Carolina," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(11), pages 1-16, May.
    3. Kamila Czepczor-Bernat & Justyna Modrzejewska & Adriana Modrzejewska & Viren Swami, 2022. "The Impact of a Woodland Walk on Body Image: A Field Experiment and an Assessment of Dispositional and Environmental Determinants," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-13, November.
    4. Kimberly A. Rollings & Christina S. Bollo, 2021. "Permanent Supportive Housing Design Characteristics Associated with the Mental Health of Formerly Homeless Adults in the U.S. and Canada: An Integrative Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-37, September.
    5. Yonatal Tefera & Veronica Soebarto & Courtney Bishop & John Kandulu & Carmel Williams, 2023. "A Scoping Review of Urban Planning Decision Support Tools and Processes That Account for the Health, Environment, and Economic Benefits of Trees and Greenspace," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(1), pages 1-28, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jonathan P. Reeves & Conor H. D. John & Kevin A. Wood & Phoebe R. Maund, 2021. "A Qualitative Analysis of UK Wetland Visitor Centres as a Health Resource," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-25, August.
    2. Nikolaos Pandis & Padhraig S Fleming & Helen Worthington & Kerry Dwan & Georgia Salanti, 2015. "Discrepancies in Outcome Reporting Exist Between Protocols and Published Oral Health Cochrane Systematic Reviews," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(9), pages 1-10, September.
    3. Liwen Li & Klaus W. Lange, 2023. "Assessing the Relationship between Urban Blue-Green Infrastructure and Stress Resilience in Real Settings: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-28, June.
    4. Emma Motrico & Jose A. Salinas-Perez & Maria Luisa Rodero-Cosano & Sonia Conejo-Cerón, 2021. "Editors’ Comments on the Special Issue “Social Determinants of Mental Health”," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-9, April.
    5. Simon Bell & Himansu Sekhar Mishra & Lewis R. Elliott & Rebecca Shellock & Peeter Vassiljev & Miriam Porter & Zoe Sydenham & Mathew P. White, 2020. "Urban Blue Acupuncture: A Protocol for Evaluating a Complex Landscape Design Intervention to Improve Health and Wellbeing in a Coastal Community," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-21, May.
    6. Michal Molcho & Aoife Gavin & Devon Goodwin, 2021. "Levels of Physical Activity and Mental Health in Adolescents in Ireland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-12, February.
    7. Ascensión Fumero & Rosario J. Marrero & Alicia Pérez-Albéniz & Eduardo Fonseca-Pedrero, 2021. "Adolescents’ Bipolar Experiences and Suicide Risk: Well-being and Mental Health Difficulties as Mediators," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-16, March.
    8. Ana Virgolino & Osvaldo Santos & Joana Costa & Mónica Fialho & Ivo Iavicoli & Tiina Santonen & Hanna Tolonen & Evangelia Samoli & Klea Katsouyanni & Georgios Baltatzis & Flavia Ruggieri & Annalisa Abb, 2021. "Challenges to Evidence Synthesis and Identification of Data Gaps in Human Biomonitoring," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-11, March.
    9. Phoebe R. Maund & Katherine N. Irvine & Jonathan Reeves & Emily Strong & Ruth Cromie & Martin Dallimer & Zoe G. Davies, 2019. "Wetlands for Wellbeing: Piloting a Nature-Based Health Intervention for the Management of Anxiety and Depression," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(22), pages 1-17, November.
    10. Jing Li & Chia-Chien Hsu & Ching-Torng Lin, 2019. "Leisure Participation Behavior and Psychological Well-Being of Elderly Adults: An Empirical Study of Tai Chi Chuan in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-19, September.
    11. Mardelle Shepley & Naomi Sachs & Hessam Sadatsafavi & Christine Fournier & Kati Peditto, 2019. "The Impact of Green Space on Violent Crime in Urban Environments: An Evidence Synthesis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(24), pages 1-19, December.
    12. Julia Dray, 2021. "Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Resilience-Focussed Interventions: A Conceptual Analysis to Inform Future Research," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(14), pages 1-17, July.
    13. Hector A. Olvera-Alvarez & Matthew H. E. M. Browning & Andreas M. Neophytou & Gregory N. Bratman, 2021. "Associations of Residential Brownness and Greenness with Fasting Glucose in Young Healthy Adults Living in the Desert," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-16, January.
    14. Xue Zhang & Suhong Zhou & Rongping Lin & Lingling Su, 2020. "Relationship between Long-Term Residential Green Exposure and Individuals’ Mental Health: Moderated by Income Differences and Residential Location in Urban China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-21, December.
    15. Azizah Alyoubi & Elizabeth J. Halstead & Zoe Zambelli & Dagmara Dimitriou, 2021. "The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Students’ Mental Health and Sleep in Saudi Arabia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-16, September.
    16. Dahlia Stott & DeAndra Forde & Chetan Sharma & Jonathan M. Deutsch & Michael Bruneau & Jennifer A. Nasser & Mara Z. Vitolins & Brandy-Joe Milliron, 2024. "Interactions with Nature, Good for the Mind and Body: A Narrative Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(3), pages 1-26, March.
    17. Xu Chen & Ling Li & Gangwu Lv & Hui Li, 2021. "Parental Behavioral Control and Bullying and Victimization of Rural Adolescents in China: The Roles of Deviant Peer Affiliation and Gender," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-13, April.
    18. Mossabir, Rahena & Milligan, Christine & Froggatt, Katherine, 2021. "Therapeutic landscape experiences of everyday geographies within the wider community: A scoping review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 279(C).
    19. Marcia P. Jimenez & Nicole V. DeVille & Elise G. Elliott & Jessica E. Schiff & Grete E. Wilt & Jaime E. Hart & Peter James, 2021. "Associations between Nature Exposure and Health: A Review of the Evidence," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-19, April.
    20. Huajun Wu & Zhiyong Cai & Qing Yan & Yi Yu & Ning Neil Yu, 2021. "The Impact of Childhood Left-Behind Experience on the Mental Health of Late Adolescents: Evidence from Chinese College Freshmen," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-12, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:10:p:5146-:d:553442. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.