Family nature engagement when living in a shelter can support parents’ psychological needsAccording to the self-determination theory, there are three basic psychological needs essential for growth, integrity and wellbeing: for autonomy, relatedness, and competence. As applied to parenting, these needs pertain to (1) the freedom to make parenting decisions and have ownership of one’s own actions, (2) feeling close and connected to one’s children, and (3) feeling competent and skilled in parenting. This study sought to determine if experiencing nature was associated with meeting these basic psychological needs of parents in shelters. The study also tested whether children’s age, type of shelter, and nature connectedness moderated the association between nature and parental need satisfaction.
This study involved 160 parents (mostly mothers) who lived with their children in a participating women’s shelter or homeless shelter in The Netherlands. The parents were selected from 20 shelters that had participated in a nationwide initiative involving the development and use of natural environments as a way to enhance the well-being of families in the shelter. Natural environments developed at the shelters included a restorative garden, a natural play area, a children’s farm, and a vegetable garden. Parents participating in the study completed two measurements of parental need satisfaction and need frustration in two conditions: one, during the family’s’ usual daily routine in the standard indoor environment of the shelter; the other, while the family experienced a nature activity initiated by a staff member. Parents also completed a connectedness to nature scale. The nature activities took place in various locations (park, garden, neighborhood green space, etc.) on and off the premises of the shelter and were designed to be responsive to the individual circumstances of each family.
The parent survey consisted of the Dutch parenting version of the validated Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Need Frustration Scale. This survey assesses psychological need satisfaction and frustration in relation to feelings of autonomy, relatedness, and competence. Schultz’s Inclusion of Nature in Self Scale (INS) was used to assess connectedness with nature. Survey results showed higher parental need satisfaction and lower parental need frustration while experiencing nature with their child(ren) compared to an activity in the standard indoor environment of the shelter. This was especially true for participants with younger children. Type of shelter (women’s shelter or homeless shelter) and parents’ connectedness to nature scores showed no significance in relation to the results of the need satisfaction and frustration scale.
The overall results of this study suggest that the physical environment matters for fulfilling parents’ basic psychological need as they interact with their children in a sheltering situation. These results also suggest that nature-based activities may be a potential avenue for supporting parental functioning and resilience in the face of risk. “At the very least, the findings may be discussed with practitioners and parents in the context of making shelter life and work more conducive to mental health and family functioning.”
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