Greenspace at home and school is associated with reduced anxiety among childrenThe mental health of children and adolescents is currently a prominent public health concern. Anxiety is a common mental health disorder among children that may adversely impact development and overall wellbeing. Environmental components, such as greenspace, may serve as protective factors that mitigate mental health risks while supporting children’s and adolescents’ mental wellbeing. To contribute to a greater understanding of the role of greenspace in children’s mental health, this study examined the relationship between long-term exposure to greenspace and anxiety among children from preschool age to early adolescence.
A cohort of children in Spain participated in the research. Prior to data collection, children were screened for oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and sampling gave preference to children who were positive for ODD. Initial data collection commenced at age 3 (N = 539), with annual assessments conducted up until age 11 (N = 371), resulting in a total of nine repeated assessments. The assessments included measures of children’s exposure to greenspace at home and school as well as measures of anxiety. Surrounding greenspace was determined from two satellite-based indices of vegetation, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Vegetation Continuous Field (VCF) at distances of 50, 100, 300, and 500 meters around each participant’s home and school. Distance to the nearest green space from participants’ homes and schools was identified using a land cover map. Children’s general psychopathology and anxiety were assessed annually using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), a questionnaire administered to parents. Additionally, parents completed the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale-P (SCAS-P) to assess the severity of anxiety symptoms once children were at age 9. Statistical analysis adjusted for potentially influential factors related to socioeconomic status.
Analysis of data collected at age 9 revealed that children with higher exposure to greenspace at home or school demonstrated lower anxiety scores, while children with longer distances to the closest green space had higher anxiety scores. These findings were statistically significant in all the buffers larger than 50 m around the participants’ home. Tree cover surrounding the home, although showing some effect, was not significantly related to anxiety scores. Greenspace near children’s schools was more strongly related to lower anxiety scores than home greenspace and was significant at 50–100 m buffers. Further, greater tree cover was significantly related to lower anxiety scores at the 50 m and 100 m buffer around schools. On the other hand, analysis of data collected over the span of participant ages 3-11 years found that higher levels of greenspace exposure at home were not significantly related to anxiety. However, this data did indicate that greenspace exposure at schools was significantly related to lower levels of anxiety at 50 m and 100 m buffers, as well as tree cover at all buffer distances. Unexpectedly, longer distances to the nearest green space were associated with lower levels of anxiety, possibility related to lower resolution in the data for for maps of greenspaces. Significant findings also indicated that girls and children of parents with lower educational levels derived greater mental health benefits from home and school greenspace than their peers.
Overall, findings suggest that higher levels of greenspace around home and school is associated with reduced anxiety symptoms among children, with exposure to greenspace at school demonstrating the strongest relationship with lower levels of anxiety. Importantly, girls and children from lower socioeconomic status may receive pronounced mental health benefits from nearby greenspaces. Increasing exposure to greenspace in neighborhoods and especially schools may be an effective strategy to promote mental health in urban children.
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