Children’s nature connectedness and well-being are positively relatedResearch exploring the well-being benefits of children's nature connectedness has been rapidly growing over the past several years. This systematic review aimed to analyze how the impacts of children’s nature connectedness on their well-being have been conceptualized, operationalized, explored, and measured and to present key findings from the literature. Nature connectedness is defined as “an individual’s subjective sense of their relationship with nature.”
The search was limited to scientific literature published in English between the years 2000 and 2021, but included an “early access” article officially published in 2022. A total of 72 articles were analyzed. Most of the studies (N=63) were published within the last six years. Only three were published before 2011. Most of the studies were conducted in the Global North and focused more on children in the 9-14 year-old group than other age groups. The included studies were divided into two categories: one focusing on the indirect interrelationship between nature connectedness and children’s well-being; the other explicitly and directly exploring the impacts of children’s nature relationship on their well-being. The first category included 49 studies, with most of them (N=39) reporting positive effects of nature connection or time spent in nature on children’s well-being, especially in relation to psychological well-being. Reported benefits include reduced stress, feelings of happiness and joy, experiences of mindfulness or spirituality, improved social well-being, and a sense of competence, self-esteem or emotional well-being. Five of the studies in this category reported potential negative effects and attitudes, such as feelings of anxiety and concern related to the degradation of the natural environment, fear of pathogen transmission from nature, perceived risks related to natural environments, and disgust towards outdoor activities. The second category included 23 studies and are the primary focus of this review. Qualitative studies in this category “gave a voice to children in defining nature and its well-being impacts.” The most common qualitative methods were semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. Some art-based methods were also used. The quantitative studies measured the connection with nature using various nature connectedness scales, presented in the form of a questionnaire. Target groups and sample sizes varied greatly. Two studies included over 20,000 children or youth, while two other studies asked adults to share how their childhood nature experiences influenced their adult nature connectedness and well-being.
Qualitative data indicated that children’s views of and interactions with nature are determined by environmental and cultural contexts. The qualitative data also indicates that even young children can identify various aspects of their nature connectedness and the benefits they gain from it. Such benefits relate to both psychological and physical well-being. Aspects of nature connectedness related to these well-being effects include living and non-living things, outdoor activities, sensory experience, care for nature, Earth as a living system, and sense of kinship and oneness. Quantitative data provide evidence of nature connectedness enhancing children’s psychological, social, and physical well-being by providing such benefits as decreasing psychosomatic symptoms and increasing self-satisfaction and pro-social behavior. Adults reflecting on their childhood nature experiences indicated that such experiences increased their adult nature connectedness which in turn supports their psychological and social well-being.
All of the studies analyzed in this review showed positive effects of nature connectedness on children’s well-being. The findings invite further development of the research field and specific recommendations for future studies are offered.
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