Melissa R. Marselle

Walking for Well-Being: Are Group Walks in Certain Types of Natural Environments Better for Well-Being than Group Walks in Urban Environments?

The benefits of walking in natural environments for well-being are increasingly understood. However, less well known are the impacts different types of natural environments have on psychological and emotional well-being. This cross-sectional study investigated whether group walks in specific types of natural environments were associated with greater psychological and emotional well-being compared to group walks in urban environments. Individuals who frequently attended a walking group once a week or more (n = 708) were surveyed on mental well-being (Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale), depression (Major Depressive Inventory), perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale) and emotional well-being (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule). Compared to group walks in urban environments, group walks in farmland were significantly associated with less perceived stress and negative affect, and greater mental well-being. Group walks in green corridors were significantly associated with less perceived stress and negative affect. There were no significant differences between the effect of any environment types on depression or positive affect. Outdoor walking group programs could be endorsed through “green prescriptions” to improve psychological and emotional well-being, as well as physical activity.

Moving beyond Green: Exploring the Relationship of Environment Type and Indicators of Perceived Environmental Quality on Emotional Well-Being following Group Walks

Against the backdrop of increasing interest in the relationship between Nature and health, this study examined the effect of perceived environment type and indicators of perceived environmental quality on short-term emotional well-being following outdoor group walks. Participants (n = 127) of a national group walk program completed pre- and post-walk questionnaires for each walk attended (n = 1009) within a 13-week study period. Multilevel linear modelling was used to examine the main and moderation effects. To isolate the environmental from the physical activity elements, analyses controlled for walk duration and perceived intensity. Analyses revealed that perceived restorativeness and perceived walk intensity predicted greater positive affect and happiness following an outdoor group walk. Perceived restorativeness and perceived bird biodiversity predicted post-walk negative affect. Perceived restorativeness moderated the relationship between perceived naturalness and positive affect. Results suggest that restorative quality of an environment may be an important element for enhancing well-being, and that perceived restorativeness and naturalness of an environment may interact to amplify positive affect. These findings highlight the importance of further research on the contribution of environment type and quality on well-being, and the need to control for effects of physical activity in green exercise research.

Staying over-optimistic about the future: Uncovering attentional biases to climate change messages

Abstract There is considerable concern that the public are not getting the message about climate change. One possible explanation is “optimism bias,” where individuals overestimate the likelihood of positive events happening to them and underestimate the likelihood of negative events. Evidence from behavioral neuroscience suggest that this bias is underpinned by selective information processing, specifically through a reduced level of neural coding of undesirable information, and an unconscious tendency for optimists to avoid fixating negative information. Here we test how this bias in attention could relate to the processing of climate change messages. Using eye tracking, we found that level of dispositional optimism affected visual fixations on climate change messages. Optimists spent less time (overall dwell time) attending to any arguments about climate changes (either “for” or “against”) with substantially shorter individual fixations on aspects of arguments for climate change, i.e., those that reflect the scientific consensus but are bad news. We also found that when asked to summarize what they had read, non-optimists were more likely to frame their recall in terms of the arguments “for” climate change; optimists were significantly more likely to frame it in terms of a debate between two opposing positions. Those highest in dispositional optimism seemed to have the strongest and most pronounced level of optimism bias when it came to estimating the probability of being personally affected by climate change. We discuss the importance of overcoming this cognitive bias to develop more effective strategies for communicating about climate change.

Addressing “Nature-Deficit Disorder”: A Mixed Methods Pilot Study of Young Adults Attending a Wilderness Camp

Background and Objectives. Rapid urbanization raises concern about chronic human health issues along with less frequent interaction with the natural world. “Nature-deficit disorder,” a nonclinical term, describes this potential impact on the well-being of youth. We conducted a mixed methods pilot study of young adults attending a four-week wilderness camp to investigate whether nature-based camp experiences would increase connection to nature and promote multiple dimensions of well-being. Methods. Participants completed precamp (n = 46) and postcamp (n = 36) online questionnaires including nature-related and holistic well-being measures. Differences were investigated using paired t-tests. Interviews (n = 16) explored camp experiences and social relations. Results. All nature-related measures—exposure, knowledge, skills, willingness to lead, perceived safety, sense of place, and nature connection—significantly increased. Well-being outcomes also significantly improved, including perceived stress, relaxation, positive and negative emotions, sense of wholeness, and transcendence. Physical activity and psychological measures showed no change. Interviews described how the wilderness environment facilitated social connections. Conclusion. Findings illustrate the change in nature relations and well-being that wilderness camp experiences can provide. Results can guide future research agendas and suggest that nature immersion experiences could address the risk of “nature-deficit disorder,” improve health, and prepare future environmental leaders.

P04.54. Natural health service: enhancing wellbeing with group walks in green spaces

Methods A quasi-experimental research design investigated the mental health and wellbeing among adults living in England who had participated in WfH during 2011 (n=1,968) and those who had not (n=1,412). An online questionnaire assessed participants’ mental wellbeing, depression, affect, perceived stress, psychological resiliency, and social support at baseline and 13-weeks follow-up. Independent sample t-tests were used to compare mean scores at baseline. Participants with missing responses on a scale were excluded from that particular analysis. Results Adults who attended WfH walks had significantly greater mental wellbeing (p<0.01; effect size d=0.19), greater positive affect (p<0.01; d=0.11), fewer depressive symptoms (p<0.01; d=0.30), less negative affect (p<0.01; d=0.34), and less perceived stress (p<0.01, d=0.31) than adults who did not participate in WfH walks. The two groups did not differ in protective measures of social support (p=0.525) and resiliency (p=0.811), which could contribute to differential mental health and wellbeing. Conclusion This research demonstrates the value of using organized group walks in the natural environment for positive mental health and wellbeing. Green space group walks are possibly a cost-effective way to improve mental health. They may also be an alternative treatment for common mental health disorders.

A new framework for the design and evaluation of a learning institution's student engagement activities

ABSTRACT In this article we explore the potential for attempts to encourage student engagement to be conceptualised as behaviour change activity, and specifically whether a new framework to guide such activity has potential value for the Higher Education (HE) sector. The Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW) (Michie, Susan, Maartje M van Stralen, and Robert West. 2011. “The Behaviour Change Wheel: A New Method for Characterising and Designing Behaviour Change Interventions.” Implementation Science : IS 6 (1): 42. doi:10.1186/1748-5908-6-42) is a framework for the systematic design and development of behaviour change interventions. It has yet to be applied to the domain of student engagement. This article explores its potential, by assessing whether the BCW comprehensively aligns with the state of student engagement as currently presented in the HE literature. This work achieves two things. It firstly allows a prima facie assessment of whether student engagement activity can be readily aligned with the BCW framework. It also highlights omissions and prevalence of activity types in the HE sector, compared with other sectors where behaviour change practice is being successfully applied.

P05.17. Addressing nature deficit disorder: a mixed methods study of social well-being among young adults attending a wilderness science camp

Purpose An increasingly ‘screen-based’ culture raises concerns for the health and well-being of America’ sy outh. We investigated whether nature-based experiences affected the social well-being of young adults attending a threeweek wilderness camp. Methods Online surveys (pre, post) were administered. We used paired t-tests (N=35) to analyze differences in social well-being as measured by Ryff’s Positive Relations with Others subscale. In situ interviews (n=20) explored relationships between the camp experience, nature, and well-being. Interviewees were selected to produce a maximum variation sample along dimensions of gender, previous nature experiences, and nature connectedness. Analysis of interviews identified elements of social connection and the role played by nature. Results Quantitative assessment of social well-being showed no significant change (74.17+/-12.39 vs. 77.40+/-13.28, p=0.066). Interview results, however, strongly emphasized social relationships describing the process of making friends, the importance of being part of a group, and how the wilderness environment facilitated connection. Making friends was enhanced by spending time together, listening to each other, and developing intimacy. Being part of a group included subthemes of a sense of community, engaging in group play, working together as a team, and the bonding effect of shared experiences. The natural environment specifically enhanced these processes through loss of ego, breaking down barriers, and limited distractions. This facilitated deeper relationships than would occur in urban surroundings, and afforded social-relatedness (i.e., acceptance and help), positive feelings (i.e., enjoyment, reward, and love), and a sense of interdependence with others (i.e. learning/teaching, having an impact, and making long-term commitments). Conclusion