A systematic map of research exploring the effect of greenspace on mental health
A systematic map of research exploring the effect of greenspace on mental health
The past 35 years has seen an accumulation of empirical evidence suggesting a positive association between greenspace and mental health. Existing reviews of evidence are narrow in scope, and do not adequately represent the broad range of disciplines working in this field. This study is the first systematic map of studies investigating greenspace effects on mental health. A total of 6059 papers were screened for their relevance, 276 of which met inclusion criteria for the systematic map.
The map revealed several methodological limitations hindering the practical applications of research findings to public health. Critically, the majority of studies used cross-sectional mental health data which makes causal inference about greenspace effects challenging. There are also few studies on the micro-features that make up greenspaces (i.e., their “quality”), with most focussing only on “quantity” effects on mental health. Moreover, few studies adopted a multi-scale approach, meaning there is little evidence about at which spatial scale(s) the relationship exists. A geographic gap in study location was also identified, with the majority of studies clustered in European countries and the USA.
Future research should account for both human and ecological perspectives of “quality” using objective and repeatable measures, and consider the potential of scale-dependent greenspace effects to ensure that management of greenspace is compatible with wider scale biodiversity targets. To establish the greenspace and metal health relationship across a life course, studies should make better use of longitudinal data, as this enables stronger inferences to be made than more commonly used cross-sectional data.
blue space, greenspace, mental health, review, systematic map
Collins, Rebecca
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Spake, Rebecca
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Brown, Kerry A.
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Ogutu, Booker
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Smith, Dianna
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Eigenbrod, Felix
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September 2020
Collins, Rebecca
2ecdff66-29af-40e5-94aa-4750e6f3fe1b
Spake, Rebecca
1cda8ad0-2ab2-45d9-a844-ec3d8be2786a
Brown, Kerry A.
a978f85f-9d55-4e5e-98f4-b08bd9352f8d
Ogutu, Booker
4e36f1d2-f417-4274-8f9c-4470d4808746
Smith, Dianna
e859097c-f9f5-4fd0-8b07-59218648e726
Eigenbrod, Felix
43efc6ae-b129-45a2-8a34-e489b5f05827
Collins, Rebecca, Spake, Rebecca, Brown, Kerry A., Ogutu, Booker, Smith, Dianna and Eigenbrod, Felix
(2020)
A systematic map of research exploring the effect of greenspace on mental health.
Landscape and Urban Planning, 201, [103823].
(doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2020.103823).
Abstract
The past 35 years has seen an accumulation of empirical evidence suggesting a positive association between greenspace and mental health. Existing reviews of evidence are narrow in scope, and do not adequately represent the broad range of disciplines working in this field. This study is the first systematic map of studies investigating greenspace effects on mental health. A total of 6059 papers were screened for their relevance, 276 of which met inclusion criteria for the systematic map.
The map revealed several methodological limitations hindering the practical applications of research findings to public health. Critically, the majority of studies used cross-sectional mental health data which makes causal inference about greenspace effects challenging. There are also few studies on the micro-features that make up greenspaces (i.e., their “quality”), with most focussing only on “quantity” effects on mental health. Moreover, few studies adopted a multi-scale approach, meaning there is little evidence about at which spatial scale(s) the relationship exists. A geographic gap in study location was also identified, with the majority of studies clustered in European countries and the USA.
Future research should account for both human and ecological perspectives of “quality” using objective and repeatable measures, and consider the potential of scale-dependent greenspace effects to ensure that management of greenspace is compatible with wider scale biodiversity targets. To establish the greenspace and metal health relationship across a life course, studies should make better use of longitudinal data, as this enables stronger inferences to be made than more commonly used cross-sectional data.
Text
Collins et al Systematic map of the effect of greenspace on mental health
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More information
Accepted/In Press date: 15 April 2020
e-pub ahead of print date: 11 May 2020
Published date: September 2020
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
Supported by a scholarship (awarded to R.M.C.) co-funded by the University of Southampton and the ERC Starting Grant ‘SCALEFORES’ (grant no. 680176) awarded to F.E..
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Authors
Keywords:
blue space, greenspace, mental health, review, systematic map
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Local EPrints ID: 440876
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/440876
ISSN: 0169-2046
PURE UUID: 79e37df4-e23d-466f-aa61-2368da5bb6c2
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Date deposited: 21 May 2020 16:30
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 04:18
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Author:
Rebecca Collins
Author:
Kerry A. Brown
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