Nature exposure may support short- and long-term reductions in excessive screen-focused behaviors for adolescentsAdolescence may be a developmental period that poses an elevated risk of problematic Internet and smartphone use. Recently, short-form video applications (such as TikTok) have gained widespread popularity and are an integral part of daily life for many adolescents. Problematic short-form video use (PSVU)—a potentially hazardous pattern of excessive Internet use—was the focus of this research. The research included three formal studies that employed different research designs to examine the relationship between a range of nature exposure types and PSVU among adolescents attending a public junior high school in China. The research was grounded in the conservation of resources (COR) theory. COR theory, in the context of this study, posits that exposure to nature induces positive emotions and fosters a sense of interpersonal connection, which may lead to a decrease in PSVU. Therefore, positive emotion and interpersonal connection were also investigated as potential underlying mechanisms that may influence the relationship between nature exposure and PSVU.
Nature exposure was categorized as intentional outdoor nature exposure (e.g., visiting natural environments), intentional indoor nature exposure, indirect nature exposure (e.g., viewing images of nature), and incidental nature exposure (e.g., exposure to neighborhood nature). The first study, Study 1a, used a cross-sectional design to test for a relationship between these different types of nature exposure and PSVU using data collected at one time point. Questionnaires were completed by 290 adolescents (age 12–16) to assess their nature exposure and PSVU. Questionnaires included the Nature Contact Questionnaire to measure intentional outdoor, intentional indoor and indirect types of nature exposure. Questionnaires also included the Internet Addiction Scale to assess students’ subjective PSVU. Further, incidental nature exposure around students’ homes was measured using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and students’ smartphone screen time was collected as an objective measure of PSVU. Statistical analysis indicated that higher levels of intentional outdoor nature exposure, intentional indoor nature exposure and indirect nature exposure were each significantly linked to lower levels of subjective PSVU. However, a significant relationship was not detected between incidental nature exposure and subjective PSVU. Additionally, none of the nature exposure types demonstrated a significant relationship with objective PSVU. Due to this finding, the subsequent studies only examined subjective PSVU measures.
Study 1b employed a longitudinal design to explore the relationships between three forms of nature exposure (intentional outdoor nature exposure, intentional indoor nature exposure, and indirect nature exposure) and PSVU six months after initial data collection. Participants for this study included 282 eighth-grade students (mean age 13.4 years). The first dataset (T1) was obtained from Study 1a, with the same data collection measures repeated six months later (T2). Statistical analysis revealed that higher levels of each of the three different types of nature exposure at T1 were significantly associated with lower levels of PSVU six months later at T2.
Study 2 used a weekly diary method to examine the underlying mechanisms in the relationship between nature exposure and PSVU. The nature exposures (intentional outdoor nature exposure, intentional indoor nature exposure, and indirect nature exposure) and PSVU of 180 students (age 12-15) were measured weekly for seven weeks. Positive emotion, assessed using the Positive and Negative Affect Scale, and interpersonal connection, assessed using the State Need to Affiliate Questionnaire, were also measured weekly. Statistical analysis found that intentional outdoor nature exposure, intentional indoor nature exposure, and incidental nature exposure in the previous week each significantly predicted PSVU in the following week. Additionally, interpersonal connection was found to be a mediating mechanism between nature exposure and PSVU. This result revealed that higher levels of intentional outdoor nature exposure was linked to higher interpersonal connection during the same week and following week, which decreased PSVU in the following week at a within-person level. Positive emotion was not found to significantly influence the relationship between nature exposure and PSVU.
Overall, the studies reveal several important findings that contribute to an understanding of how nature might mitigate adolescents’ screen-focused lifestyles. Results suggest “that intentional outdoor nature exposure, intentional indoor nature exposure, and indirect nature exposure impact PSVU not only through immediate effects but also through delayed effects.” Importantly, nature exposure may support both long-term (six months) and short-term (one week) reductions in PSVU. Results also reveal that intentionally engaging with nature outdoors was linked to higher levels of interpersonal connection during the current and following week, and, at an individual level, supported reduction in the following week’s PSVU. Findings offer insight to guide the development of interventions aiming to reduce problematic digital media use among adolescents.
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