Connection to nature boosts adolescents’ mental well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic

Adolescent’s mental health can be strengthened through connection to natureMental health is particularly vulnerable to trauma and stress during adolescence. Declines in mental well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic may have been exacerbated by reduced contact with nature. While previous research has determined that a psychological connection to nature is essential to fully experiencing the benefits of nature, such as recovery from stress and increased resilience, little is known about how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted adolescents’ connection to nature. This study aimed to investigate how adolescents’ connection to nature changed during the pandemic and also to explore how connection to nature can improve adolescents’ resilience.

Study participants included 624 youth between the ages of 10 and 18 years, as well as their parents. The participants were selected to be representative of the demographics of the United States based on gender, race, community type (rural, suburban, urban), and were residents of all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Data collection occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020. Parents and their child completed separate but linked surveys through the Qualtrics XM platform. Questionnaires administered to adolescence included 30 items focused on three main constructs: 1) Participation in nature experience and outdoor play activities; 2) Connection to nature; and 3) Mental well-being. Adolescents were asked to provide a pre-COVID-19 pandemic response, based on recalled memory, as well as a current, during pandemic response. The survey for nature experience activities asked adolescents to report their engagement in activities occurring in natural settings, such as paddling, camping, fishing, hiking, and playing in the woods. The survey for outdoor play activities asked for reports of activities in less natural environments, including bicycling, playing sports, and going for walks. Connection to nature was measured using a modified version of the nature relatedness scale. Mental well-being was assessed using a modified version of the World Health Organization’s subjective health and well-being index. Adolescents also completed demographic questions focused on gender, race, and age. Parents were asked to report household income, community type, and state of residence.

Data analysis revealed that during the pandemic, adolescents reported significant declines in nature experience activities (41% decline), outdoor play activities (43% decline), connection to nature scores (45% decline), and mental well-being scores (21% decline). Analysis of statistical models documented several key findings. First, a significant and direct relationship was detected between declines in mental well-being during COVID-19 and declines in connection to nature when controlling for frequency of participation in nature experience as well as outdoor play activities. Second, both before and during COVID-19, connection to nature was found to account for the relationship between participation in both nature experience and outdoor play activity and mental well-being. During COVID-19, connection to nature had the greatest influence on mental well-being when paired with participation in nature experience activities and accounted for 45% of the total effect on mental well-being. Connection to nature was found to play a lesser role in the mental well-being of adolescents engaging in outdoor play activities and accounted for 27% of the total effect on mental well-being. This difference is attributed to the benefits of the more natural environment that is the context for the nature experiences. Third, the indirect path between activity participation and mental well-being did not demonstrate a significant difference from before the pandemic, indicating that connection to nature did not play a significant role in driving improved mental well-being during the pandemic. Though this relationship was not significant, data revealed trends suggesting that connection to nature during the pandemic was somewhat influential on mental well-being. More important, however, was the direct effect of participation in outdoor activities in supporting mental well-being during the pandemic. The outsized influence of outdoor activities compared to connection to nature may be because outdoor activities may have been one of the only opportunities adolescents had during the pandemic for engaging in activities that support well-being.

Analysis of socio-demographic data did not detect differences in connection to nature based on race, gender, household income, or region of the country before or during the pandemic. However, older adolescents reported higher connection to nature scores than younger adolescents before the pandemic when analysis controlled for participation in both nature experience and outdoor play activities. Higher connection to nature scores were also detected among older adolescents during the pandemic when participation in outdoor play activities was controlled for. Adolescents living in rural areas were found to have the highest connection to nature scores. Additionally, when connection to nature and participation in nature experience/outdoor play activities were controlled for, adolescents living in small cities and towns had higher mental well-being scores than those living in rural areas, while older adolescents had lower mental well-being scores than younger adolescents during the pandemic.

Findings highlight the role of connection to nature in the relationship between participation in nature and outdoor activities and mental well-being. Overall, the study supports the relationship between connection to nature and improved mental well-being among adolescents. Although connection to nature during the pandemic showed a decreased effect, researchers explain that this may reflect an increased involvement in outdoor activities, rather than an actual decline in connection to nature’s importance. Importantly, findings suggest that declines in adolescent mental health may be “reversed through increased participation in outdoor activities, which encourage development of a connection to nature.” The researchers call for improving access to nearby nature to bolster connection to nature and support adolescent mental health and well-being, especially in times of pronounced stress.