Many people around the world experienced dramatic changes in their everyday activities during COVID-19 due, in part, to restrictions on access to public green spaces. This study sought to understand if exposure to greenery can support mental health in times of physical isolation from the outdoor environment.
During the months of May and June, 2020, over 300 university students in Bulgaria completed online surveys assessing depressive and anxiety symptoms over the past two weeks and their level of exposure to indoor and outdoor greenery during that time. All of the students were spending an average of 20 hours per day at home. Two screening tools were used for assessing depression and anxiety: the Patient Health Questionnaire and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale. Two self-report measures assessed greenery indoors: the number of houseplants in the home and the proportion of exterior greenery visible through the windows or from a terrace or balcony. Two self-report measures assessed greenery experienced outdoors: presence or absence of a domestic garden and availability of neighborhood greenery. Additional information collected through the survey related to home characteristics (house, apartment, time at home, crowding, etc. ), community characteristics (city, town, village), restorative quality of the home, restorative quality of the neighborhood environment, and social support.
Survey results showed that 33% of the students experienced clinically-meaningful symptoms of moderate depression; 20% of anxiety. Half of the participants reported having a garden. The average number of houseplants per household was ten. On average, the participants rated their view from inside their home and in their neighborhood as moderately green. They rated the restorative quality of the home and neighborhood as moderate. They reported their engagement with outdoor greenery as infrequent, especially as related to sport or social interaction. Having more houseplants or having a garden was associated with reduced depressive/anxiety symptoms and/or lower rates of clinically meaningful depression/anxiety levels. More plants/greenery visible from windows/terraces/balconies or in the neighborhood was also associated with better mental health.
The positive effects of greenery experienced indoors “were largely explained by feelings of being away while at home”. The effects of outdoor greenery “were largely explained by restorative quality and social support working together”. The overall results showed that “the mental health of homebound young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic was better if greenery was present”. This research suggests that exposure to greenery may be a valuable resource for mental health during social isolation in the home.
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