The psychological and physiological benefits of engagement with nature apply to people of all ages. Such benefits include reduced stress, improved sleep, and improved cognitive performance. These benefits may be especially important to university undergraduate students, who are faced with an excessive amount of challenges and stress inducers. One aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of potential links between university undergraduates' nature engagement (NE) and stress levels. The study also investigated possible links between undergraduates' past NE in their middle childhood years (MCYs) and current NE as well as past NE and current proenvironmental attitudes (PEAs).
Over 300 undergraduate students from a US university completed a 24-question survey consisting of three parts: a demographics section, a section on the physical environment and NEs during their MCYs, and a section on their current levels of NE, PEA, and stress. The third section included a question about ways students sought relief from stress during the semester and about their familiarity with a university program that prescribes time in nature. In addition to questions about their level of concern for the environment (PEAs) and their overall stress level during the semester, the third section also included an open-ended question inviting additional thoughts on participants' current relationship with nature.
Results showed “a notable decrease in NE from MCYs to college years.” While the majority of participants engaged with nature during MCYs at least three to four times a week, most reported current NE as less than once a week. Results also showed a significant positive link between NE during MCYs and undergraduate NE and PEA. In other words, participants who were highly engaged with nature during their MCYs tended to be more engaged with nature and held more PEAs as undergraduates than participants with less NE during their MCYs. While participants indicated that being outside in nature was exceeded only by talking to friends or family as an avenue for stress relief, the overall results showed no correlation between undergraduate NE and self-report stress levels. Childhood experiences influencing undergraduates' current NE and PEA included adults' talking about nature, camp attendance, and the physical environment. Undergraduates who recalled adults frequently talking about nature reported greater NE and PEAs. Participants who went to camp in MCYs engaged in nature activities as undergraduates more frequently than those who did not attend camp. Participants who reported frequent MCY nature engagement tended to be wealthier and to be from more rural communities, while participants reporting less NE during their MCYs tended to be from more urban communities.
These results highlight the importance of people having positive experiences with nature in childhood, both for continued NE and to promote PEAs in adulthood. The results also confirm findings from other studies indicating that parents or other adult figures are important influences in the child's relationship with nature.
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