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• Residential Greenspace Is Associated with Lower Levels of Depressive and Burnout Symptoms, and Higher Levels of Life Satisfaction: A Nationwide Population-Based Study in Sweden

  2022. Yannick Klein (et al.). International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19 (9)

  Artikel

  Population-based studies of individual-level residential greenspace and mental health outcomes are still limited. Thus, the present study investigates greenspace–mental health associations—including depressive symptoms, burnout symptoms, and life satisfaction—in a population-based sample of adults, the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health, in 2016 (n = 14,641). High-resolution land cover of greenspace and green–blue-space was assessed at 50, 100, 300 and 500 m buffers around residential addresses. Higher residential greenspace and green–blue-space were associated with lower levels of depressive and burnout symptoms among non-working individuals and with higher life satisfaction in the whole study population, after controlling for age, sex, individual income, and neighborhood socioeconomics. The immediate residential-surrounding environment (50 m) consistently showed the strongest associations with the outcomes. Having a partner was associated with better mental health outcomes and with having more residential greenspace, and adjusting for this rendered greenspace–health associations mostly statistically non-significant. In conclusion, higher levels of greenspace and green–blue-space in the immediate residential-surrounding environment were associated with better mental health outcomes in the present study, which contributes additional nuances to prior studies. The importance of residential greenspace for public health, urban planning, and development is discussed.

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• Nature-related habits and their development and relation to mental health outcomes during the covid-19 pandemic: a population-based study in Sweden

  2023. Yannick Klein (et al.). International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 136

  Konferens

  Background: Mental health disorders represent a major public health concern, and significantly contribute to the global burden of disease. The Covid-19 pandemic posed additional challenges for mental health. Spending time in natural environments has been linked to numerous health benefits.

  Purpose: Therefore, the present study investigated the role of different types of nature-related habits for symptoms of depression, anxiety, and loneliness, and their development during the pandemic 2019–2022, in Sweden. Further, we investigated whether nature habits could buffer negative effects of major life events on mental health outcomes (MHO).

  Method: Different types of nature-related habits, symptoms of depression, anxiety, loneliness, major life events, and control variables were assessed via self-report measures, in a sub-sample of respondents to the Swedish Occupational Survey of Health, in 2021 (n = 1 896), and 2022 (n = 1 579). Sequential linear regressions were conducted to analyze relationships between nature-related habits and MHO, while controlling for demographics, SES, relationship status, and pre-pandemic MHO.

  Results: Spending time in nature was consistently associated with fewer symptoms of depression, anxiety, and loneliness during the pandemic after adjusting for control variables. Especially spending time in forest and garden environments were associated with better mental health. Spending time in garden environments buffered effects of major life events on symptoms of depression and anxiety, but not loneliness. Increased nature habits during the pandemic related to improved MHO.

  Conclusions: Spending time in natural environments during the Covid-19 pandemic led to better MHO, with implications for urban development and public health promotion.

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• Development of nature-related habits and their relation to mental health outcomes during two years of the COVID-19 pandemic: a population-based study in Sweden

  2024. Yannick Klein (et al.). Journal of Public Health

  Artikel

  Aims Spending time in natural environments has been linked to mental health benefits, and may have been an important resilience factor during the COVID-19 pandemic, but longitudinal studies are limited. This longitudinal study aimed to investigate the development of nature-related habits and their relationship to different mental health outcomes before and during early and later phases of COVID-19 (2019–2022). Furthermore, the buffering potential of nature-related habits on effects of major life events on mental health outcomes was investigated.

  Subject and methods A subsample of the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH) was studied during 2018–2022, including follow-ups in early 2021 (n  = 1902) and 2022 (n = 1580). Visits to various types of nature, mental health outcomes (symptoms of depression, anxiety, loneliness, sleep difficulties), and major life events were analyzed across the study period while controlling for confounders.

  Results Greater overall engagement in nature visits, particularly visiting forests or using one’s garden, was associated with lower levels of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and sleep problems in early 2021 and 2022.

  Importantly, changes in nature visits were consistently negatively associated with investigated mental health outcomes across the study period. All nature visits, except for garden time, increased in the long term (2019–2022). Visiting forests also increased in the short term, while overall nature visits initially decreased (2019–2020).

  Conclusion Generally, nature visits increased longitudinally and were associated with better mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. This underscores the importance of green- and blue-space accessibility for facilitating outdoor recreation in natural environments, to support resilience and public health during pandemics.

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