| 1. |
- Arnold, Oliver, et al.
(author)
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Capturing the Environmental Impact of Individual Lifestyles : Evidence of the Criterion Validity of the General Ecological Behavior Scale
- 2018
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In: Environment and Behavior. - : SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC. - 0013-9165 .- 1552-390X. ; 50:3, s. 350-372
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Do behavioral measures of ecological lifestyles reflect actual environmental impact? Three convenience samples of German adults (N = 881) completed such a measure, the General Ecological Behavior (GEB) scale. Their household electricity consumption was self-reported (Study 1), assessed by a smart-meter (Study 2), or reported by the power company (Study 3). The latter two studies controlled for income, which can boost consumption just as it opens possibilities for behaving ecologically. Within and across studies, analyses revealed a negative association between self-reported ecological behavior and electricity consumption (-.18 rs -.22), even with adjustment for income. Furthermore, customers in a green electricity program reported more ecological engagement and consumed one third less electricity than did regular customers. These results indicate the criterion validity of the GEB scale for a highly practically relevant criterion and encourage the use of generic behavior measures in efforts to understand and foster more ecological lifestyles.
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| 2. |
- Astell-Burt, Thomas, et al.
(author)
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Green space and loneliness : A systematic review with theoretical and methodological guidance for future research
- 2022
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In: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 847
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Persistent loneliness troubles people across the life span, with prevalence as high as 61% in some groups. Urban greening may help to reduce the population health impacts of loneliness and its concomitants, such as hopelessness and despair. However, the literature lacks both a critical appraisal of extant evidence and a conceptual model to explain how green space would work as a structural intervention. Both are needed to guide decision making and further research. We conducted a systematic review of quantitative studies testing associations between green space and loneliness, searching seven databases. Twenty two studies were identified by 25/01/2022. Most of the studies were conducted in high-income countries and fifteen (68 %) had cross-sectional designs. Green space was measured inconsistently using either objective or subjective indicators. Few studies examined specific green space types or qualities. The majority of studies measured general loneliness (e.g. using the UCLA loneliness scale). Different types of loneliness (social, emotional, existential) were not analysed. Of 132 associations, 88 (66.6 %) indicated potential protection from green space against loneliness, with 44 (33.3 %) reaching statistical significance (p < 0.05). We integrated these findings with evidence from qualitative studies to elaborate and extend the existing pathway domain model linking green space and health. These elaborations and extensions acknowledge the following: (a) different types of green space have implications for different types of loneliness; (b) multilevel circumstances influence the likelihood a person will benefit or suffer harm from green space; (c) personal, relational, and collective processes operate within different domains of pathways linking green space with loneliness and its concomitants; (d) loneliness and its concomitants are explicitly positioned as mediators within the broader causal system that links green space with health and wellbeing. This review and model provide guidance for decision making and further epidemiological research on green space and loneliness.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Astell-Burt, Thomas, et al.
(author)
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More green, less lonely? : A longitudinal cohort study
- 2022
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In: International Journal of Epidemiology. - : Oxford University Press. - 0300-5771 .- 1464-3685. ; 51:1, s. 99-110
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BackgroundUrban greening may reduce loneliness by offering opportunities for solace, social reconnection and supporting processes such as stress relief. We (i) assessed associations between residential green space and cumulative incidence of, and relief from, loneliness over 4 years; and (ii) explored contingencies by age, sex, disability and cohabitation status.MethodsMultilevel logistic regressions of change in loneliness status in 8049 city-dwellers between 2013 (baseline) and 2017 (follow-up) in the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia study. Associations with objectively measured discrete green-space buffers (e.g. parks) (<400, <800 and <1600 m) were adjusted for age, sex, disability, cohabitation status, children and socio-economic variables. Results were translated into absolute risk reductions in loneliness per 10% increase in urban greening.ResultsThe absolute risk of loneliness rose from 15.9% to 16.9% over the 4 years; however, a 10% increase in urban greening within 1.6 km was associated with lower cumulative incident loneliness [odds ratio (OR) = 0.927, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.862 to 0.996; absolute risk reduction = 0.66%]. Stronger association was observed for people living alone (OR = 0.828, 95% CI = 0.725 to 0.944). In comparison to people with <10% green space, the ORs for cumulative incident loneliness were 0.833 (95% CI = 0.695 to 0.997), 0.790 (95% CI = 0.624 to 1.000) and 0.736 (95% CI = 0.549 to 0.986) for 10–20%, 20–30% and >30% green space, respectively. Compared with the <10% green-space reference group with 13.78% incident loneliness over 4 years and conservatively assuming no impact on incident loneliness, associations translated into absolute risk reductions of 1.70%, 2.26% and 2.72% within populations with 10–20%, 20–30% and >30% green space, respectively. These associations were stronger again for people living alone, with 10–20% (OR = 0.608, 95% CI = 0.448 to 0.826), 20–30% (OR = 0.649, 95% CI = 0.436 to 0.966) and >30% (OR = 0.480, 95% CI = 0.278 to 0.829) green space within 1600 m. No age, sex or disability-related contingencies, associations with green space within 400 or 800 m or relief from loneliness reported at baseline were observed.ConclusionsA lower cumulative incidence of loneliness was observed among people with more green space within 1600 m of home, especially for people living alone. Potential biopsychosocial mechanisms warrant investigation.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Bellini, Diego, et al.
(author)
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Social support in the company canteen : A restorative resource buffering the relationship between job demands and fatigue
- 2019
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In: Work. - : IOS PRESS. - 1051-9815 .- 1875-9270. ; 63:3, s. 375-387
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: The quality of the places where workers take their breaks may affect the completeness of recovery in the time available. Little is known about how characteristics of a company canteen buffer the relationship between job demands and fatigue. OBJECTIVE: We addressed the possibility that the company canteen buffers the relationship between job demands and fatigue to the extent that workers perceive it to hold restorative quality. Further, we considered how the restorative quality of the canteen signals the provision of organizational support, another job resource thought to buffer the demands-fatigue relationship. METHODS: A questionnaire was completed by 141 male blue collars workers during their lunch break in the factory canteen of an Italian industrial organization. RESULTS: Canteen restorative quality correlated positively with organizational support. In multivariate regression analyses, the demands-fatigue association was weaker among workers who saw greater restorative quality in the canteen. This buffering effect was accounted for by a buffering effect of organizational support. CONCLUSIONS: When settings for rest in the workplace have higher restorative quality, they may better function as job resources in two respects: serving the immediate needs of workers for recovery from job demands, and signaling the interest of the organization in their well-being.
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| 7. |
- Bratman, Gregory N., et al.
(author)
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Nature and mental health : An ecosystem service perspective
- 2019
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In: Science Advances. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 2375-2548. ; 5:7
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A growing body of empirical evidence is revealing the value of nature experience for mental health. With rapid urbanization and declines in human contact with nature globally, crucial decisions must be made about how to preserve and enhance opportunities for nature experience. Here, we first provide points of consensus across the natural, social, and health sciences on the impacts of nature experience on cognitive functioning, emotional well-being, and other dimensions of mental health. We then show how ecosystem service assessments can be expanded to include mental health, and provide a heuristic, conceptual model for doing so.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Bringslimark, Tina, et al.
(author)
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Adaptation to windowlessness : Do office workers compensate for a lack of visual access to the outdoors?
- 2011
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In: Environment and Behavior. - : SAGE. - 0013-9165 .- 1552-390X. ; 43:4, s. 469-487
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- If office workers lack a view to natural features outdoors, do they compensate by bringing plants and pictures of nature indoors? The authors used cross-sectional survey data from 385 Norwegian office workers to investigate whether such compensation occurs. The authors found that workers without windows had roughly five times greater odds of having brought plants into their workspaces than workers with windows, independent of age, gender, type of office, job demands, control over work, and personalization. Windowless workers also had three times greater odds of having brought pictures of nature into their workspaces. The authors consider implications of the findings for environmental design that offers contact with nature to people who spend much of their time indoors.
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| 10. |
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| 11. |
- Bringslimark, Tina, et al.
(author)
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The psychological benefits of indoor plants : A critical review of the experimental literature
- 2009
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In: Journal of Environmental Psychology. - London : Academic Press. - 0272-4944 .- 1522-9610. ; 29:4, s. 422-433
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- People have been bringing plants into residential and other indoor settings for centuries, but little is known about their psychological effects. In the present article, we critically review the experimental literature on the psychological benefits of indoor plants. We focus on benefits gained through passive interactions with indoor plants rather than on the effects of guided interactions with plants in horticultural therapy or the indirect effect of indoor plants as air purifiers or humidifiers. The reviewed experiments addressed a variety of outcomes, including emotional states, pain perception, creativity, task-performance, and indices of autonomic arousal. Some findings recur, such as enhanced pain management with plants present, but in general the results appear to be quite mixed. Sources of this heterogeneity include diversity in experimental manipulations, settings, samples, exposure durations, and measures. After addressing some overarching theoretical issues, we close with recommendations for further research with regard to experimental design, measurement, analysis, and reporting.
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| 12. |
- Browning, Matthew H. E. M., et al.
(author)
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An Actual Natural Setting Improves Mood Better Than Its Virtual Counterpart : A Meta-Analysis of Experimental Data
- 2020
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In: Frontiers in Psychology. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1664-1078. ; 11
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Accumulating evidence indicates that simulated natural settings can engage mechanisms that promote health. Simulations offer alternatives to actual natural settings for populations unable to travel outdoors safely; however, few studies have contrasted the effects of simulations of natural settings to their actual outdoor counterparts. We compared the impacts of simulated and actual natural settings on positive and negative affect (mood) levels using a pooled sample of participants enrolled in extant experimental studies. Relevant articles were identified from a review of research published/in press by March 2020 and updated during the peer review of the current study. Of 16 articles identified, 6 met the inclusion criteria and administered a single cross-cutting, standardized instrument [the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)] before and after exposure. Random effects meta-analysis of pooled effects showed that positive affect increased in the actual settings but not in their simulated counterparts (Hedge'sg= 0.87; 95% CI, 0.54, 1.20). We observed little difference in effects on negative affect change scores (g= -0.28; 95% CI, -0.62, 0.06), with studies generally showing reductions in negative affect in both settings. Further research with additional populations, settings, antecedent conditions, and durations would provide a more robust understanding of differences in effects between these two ways to enhance mood by viewing nature.
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| 13. |
- Byrka, Katarzyna, et al.
(author)
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Environmental attitude as a mediator of the relationship between in nature and self-reported ecological behavior
- 2010
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In: Psychological Reports. - 0033-2941 .- 1558-691X. ; 107:3, s. 847-859
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Environmental attitude and ecological behavior were investigated in relation to the use of nature for psychological restoration. Specifically, with survey data from 468 German university students, the role of environmental attitude was investigated as a mediator of the restoration-behavior relationship. Assuming that positive experiences in nature can have a broad influence on environmental attitudes, the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale, an attitudinal measure with broad scope, was adopted. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated partial mediation by environmental concern. The study helps to consolidate the restoration theme in the growing literature on positive motivations for ecological behavior.
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| 14. |
- Catalano, Ralph A., et al.
(author)
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Collective Optimism and Selection Against Male Twins in Utero
- 2020
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In: Twin Research and Human Genetics. - : Cambridge University Press (CUP). - 1832-4274 .- 1839-2628. ; 23:1, s. 45-50
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Scholarly literature claims that health declines in populations when optimism about investing in the future wanes. This claim leads us to describe collective optimism as a predictor of selection in utero. Based on the literature, we argue that the incidence of suicide gauges collective optimism in a population and therefore willingness to invest in the future. Using monthly data from Sweden for the years 1973-2016, we test the hypothesis that the incidence of suicide among women of child-bearing age correlates inversely with male twin births, an indicator of biological investment in high-risk gestations. We find that, as predicted by our theory, the incidence of suicide at month t varies inversely with the ratio of twin to singleton male births at month t + 3. Our results illustrate the likely sensitivity of selection in utero to change in the social environment and so the potential for viewing collective optimism as a component of public health infrastructure.
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| 15. |
- Catalano, Ralph, et al.
(author)
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A novel indicator of selection in utero
- 2023
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In: EVOLUTION MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 2050-6201. ; 11:1, s. 244-250
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background and objectives: Selection in utero predicts that population stressors raise the standard for how quickly fetuses must grow to avoid spontaneous abortion. Tests of this prediction must use indirect indicators of fetal loss in birth cohorts because vital statistics systems typically register fetal deaths at the 20th week of gestation or later, well after most have occurred. We argue that tests of selection in utero would make greater progress if researchers adopted an indicator of selection against slow-growing fetuses that followed from theory, allowed sex-specific tests and used readily available data. We propose such an indicator and assess its validity as a dependent variable by comparing its values among monthly birth cohorts before, and during, the first 10 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden.Methodology: We apply Box-Jenkins methods to 50 pre-pandemic birth cohorts (i.e., December 2016 through January 2020) and use the resulting transfer functions to predict counterfactual values in our suggested indicator for selection for ten subsequent birth cohorts beginning in February 2020. We then plot all 60 residual values as well as their 95% detection interval. If birth cohorts in gestation at the onset of the pandemic lost more slow-growing fetuses than expected from history, more than one of the last 10 (i.e. pandemic-exposed) residuals would fall below the detection interval.Results: Four of the last 10 residuals of our indicator for males and for females fell below the 95% detection interval.Conclusions and implications: Consistent with selection in utero, Swedish birth cohorts in gestation at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic included fewer than expected infants who grew slowly in utero. Lay Summary Our findings suggest that the risk of spontaneously aborting a slow-growing fetus will increase during relatively stressful times.
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| 16. |
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| 17. |
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| 18. |
- Catalano, Ralph, et al.
(author)
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Sildenafil and suicide in Sweden
- 2021
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In: European Journal of Epidemiology. - : Springer Nature. - 0393-2990 .- 1573-7284. ; 36:5, s. 531-537
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Much theory asserts that sexual intimacy sustains mental health. Experimental tests of such theory remain rare and have not provided compelling evidence because ethical, practical, and cultural constraints bias samples and results. An epidemiologic approach would, therefore, seem indicated given the rigor the discipline brings to quasi-experimental research. For reasons that remain unclear, however, epidemiologist have largely ignored such theory despite the plausibility of the processes implicated, which engender, for example, happiness, feelings of belonging and self-worth, and protection against depression. We use an intent-to-treat design, implemented via interrupted time-series methods, to test the hypothesis that the monthly incidence of suicide, a societally important distal measure of mental health in a population, decreased among Swedish men aged 50-59 after July 2013 when patent rights to sildenafil (i.e., Viagra) ceased, prices fell, and its use increased dramatically. The test uses 102 pre, and 18 post, price-drop months. 65 fewer suicides than expected occurred among men aged 50-59 over test months following the lowering of sildenafil prices. Our findings could not arise from shared trends or seasonality, biased samples, or reverse causation. Our results would appear by chance fewer than once in 10,000 experiments. Our findings align with theory indicating that sexual intimacy reinforces mental health. Using suicide as our distal measure of mental health further implies that public health programming intended to address the drivers of self-destructive behavior should reduce barriers to intimacy in the middle-aged populations.
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| 19. |
- Catalano, Ralph, et al.
(author)
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Twinning during the pandemic : Evidence of selection in utero
- 2021
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In: Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health. - : Oxford University Press. - 2050-6201. ; 9:1, s. 374-382
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background and objectives: The suspicion that a population stressor as profound as the COVID-19 pandemic would increase preterm birth among cohorts in gestation at its outset has not been supported by data collected in 2020. An evolutionary perspective on this circumstance suggests that natural selection in utero, induced by the onset of the pandemic, caused pregnancies that would otherwise have produced a preterm birth to end early in gestation as spontaneous abortions. We test this possibility using the odds of a live-born twin among male births in Norway as an indicator of the depth of selection in birth cohorts.Methodology: We apply Box-Jenkins methods to 50 pre-pandemic months to estimate counterfactuals for the nine birth cohorts in gestation in March 2020 when the first deaths attributable to SARS-CoV-2 infection occurred in Norway. We use Alwan and Roberts outlier detection methods to discover any sequence of outlying values in the odds of a live-born twin among male births in exposed birth cohorts.Results: We find a downward level shift of 27% in the monthly odds of a twin among male births beginning in May and persisting through the remainder of 2020.Conclusions and implications: Consistent with evolutionary theory and selection in utero, birth cohorts exposed in utero to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic yielded fewer male twins than expected.Lay Summary: Our finding of fewer than expected male twin births during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic provides more evidence that evolution continues to affect the characteristics and health of contemporary populations.
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| 20. |
- Collado, S., et al.
(author)
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Restorativeenvironments and health
- 2017
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In: Handbook of Environmental Psychology and Quality of Life Research. - Heidelberg : Springer. ; , s. 127-148
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Book chapter (peer-reviewed)
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| 21. |
- Dzhambov, Angel M., et al.
(author)
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Analytical approaches to testing pathways linking greenspace to health : A scoping review of the empirical literature
- 2020
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In: Environmental Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 0013-9351 .- 1096-0953. ; 186
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Inadequate translation from theoretical to statistical models of the greenspace - health relationship may lead to incorrect conclusions about the importance of some pathways, which in turn may reduce the effectiveness of public health interventions involving urban greening. In this scoping review we aimed to: (1) summarize the general characteristics of approaches to intervening variable inference (mediation analysis) employed in epidemiological research in the field; (2) identify potential threats to the validity of findings; and (3) propose recommendations for planning, conducting, and reporting mediation analyses.Methods: We conducted a scoping review, searching PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science for peer-reviewed epidemiological studies published by December 31, 2019. The list of potential studies was continuously updated through other sources until March 2020. Narrative presentation of the results was coupled with descriptive summary of study characteristics.Results: We found 106 studies, most of which were cross-sectional in design. Most studies only had a spatial measure of greenspace. Mental health/well-being was the most commonly studied outcome, and physical activity and air pollution were the most commonly tested intervening variables. Most studies only conducted single mediation analysis, even when multiple potentially intertwined mediators were measured. The analytical approaches used were causal steps, difference-of-coefficients, product-of-coefficients, counterfactual framework, and structural equation modelling (SEM). Bootstrapping was the most commonly used method to construct the 95% CI of the indirect effect. The product-of-coefficients method and SEM as used to investigate serial mediation components were more likely to yield findings of indirect effect. In some cases, the causal steps approach thwarted tests of indirect effect, even though both links in an indirect effect were supported. In most studies, sensitivity analyses and proper methodological discussion of the modelling approach were missing.Conclusions: We found a persistent pattern of suboptimal conduct and reporting of mediation analysis in epidemiological studies investigating pathways linking greenspace to health; however, recent years have seen improvements in these respects. Better planning, conduct, and reporting of mediation analyses are warranted.
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| 22. |
- Dzhambov, Angel M., et al.
(author)
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Multiple pathways link urban green- and bluespace to mental health in young adults
- 2018
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In: Environmental Research. - : Elsevier. - 0013-9351 .- 1096-0953. ; 166, s. 223-233
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: A growing body of scientific literature indicates that urban green- and bluespace support mental health; however, little research has attempted to address the complexities in likely interrelations among the pathways through which benefits plausibly are realized. Objectives: The present study examines how different plausible pathways between green/bluespace and mental health can work together. Both objective and perceived measures of green- and bluespace are used in these models. Methods: We sampled 720 students from the city of Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Residential greenspace was measured in terms of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), tree cover density, percentage of green areas, and Euclidean distance to the nearest green space. Bluespace was measured in terms of its presence in the neighborhood and the Euclidean distance to the nearest bluespace. Mental health was measured with the 12-item form of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). The following mediators were considered: perceived neighborhood green/bluespace, restorative quality of the neighborhood, social cohesion, physical activity, noise and air pollution, and environmental annoyance. Structural equation modelling techniques were used to analyze the data. Results: Higher NDVI within a 300 m buffer around the residence was associated with better mental health through higher perceived greenspace; through higher perceived greenspace, leading to increased restorative quality, and subsequently to increased physical activity (i.e., serial mediation); through lower noise exposure, which in turn was associated with lower annoyance; and through higher perceived greenspace, which was associated with lower annoyance. Presence of bluespace within a 300 m buffer did not have a straightforward association with mental health owing to competitive indirect paths: one supporting mental health through higher perceived bluespace, restorative quality, and physical activity; and another engendering mental ill-health through higher noise exposure and annoyance. Conclusions: We found evidence that having more greenspace near the residence supported mental health through several indirect pathways with serial components. Conversely, bluespace was not clearly associated with mental health.
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| 23. |
- Dzhambov, Angel M., et al.
(author)
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Residential greenspace is associated with mental health via intertwined capacity-building and capacity-restoring pathways
- 2019
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In: Environmental Research. - : ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE. - 0013-9351 .- 1096-0953. ; 178
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Experiences afforded by natural settings promote health by helping people to build new adaptive capacities and to restore existing capacities. The aim of this study was to examine relations among restorative experience, mindfulness, rumination and psychological resilience in pathways linking residential greenspace to anxiety and depression symptoms.Methods: We sampled 529 university students residing in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Residential greenspace was measured in terms of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and tree cover density for different buffer sizes. Symptoms of anxiety and depression were measured with the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (7-item) and Patient Health Questionnaire (9-item), respectively. The following mediators were assessed by self-report: perceived greenspace, restorative quality of the neighborhood, dispositional mindfulness, rumination, and psychological resilience. Structural equation modelling techniques were used to test the theoretically-indicated relations among the variables.Results: Across different buffer sizes, higher greenspace was consistently associated with reduced scores on the anxiety and depression scales. This effect was partially mediated via several pathways. Specifically, higher NDVI500-m was associated with higher perceived greenspace, and in turn, with higher restorative quality, and then with higher mindfulness, lower rumination, and greater resilience to stress, and consequently, with better mental health.Conclusions: Our findings affirm the potential of greenspace for building psychological resilience and promoting health by offsetting dysfunctional rumination and facilitating mindfulness as components of intertwined capacity-building and capacity-restoring pathways.
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| 24. |
- Dzhambov, Angel, et al.
(author)
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Urban residential greenspace and mental health in youth : Different approaches to testing multiple pathways yield different conclusions
- 2018
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In: Environmental Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 0013-9351 .- 1096-0953. ; 160, s. 47-59
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Urban greenspace can benefit mental health through multiple mechanisms. They may work together, but previous studies have treated them as independent.Objectives: We aimed to compare single and parallel mediation models, which estimate the independent contributions of different paths, to several models that posit serial mediation components in the pathway from greenspace to mental health.Methods: We collected cross-sectional survey data from 399 participants (15-25 years of age) in the city of Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Objective "exposure" to urban residential greenspace was defined by the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index, tree cover density within the 500-m buffer, and Euclidean distance to the nearest urban greenspace. Self-reported measures of availability, access, quality, and usage of greenspace were also used. Mental health was measured with the General Health Questionnaire. The following potential mediators were considered in single and parallel mediation models: restorative quality of the neighborhood, neighborhood social cohesion, commuting and leisure time physical activity, road traffic noise annoyance, and perceived air pollution. Four models were tested with the following serial mediation components: (1) restorative quality -> social cohesion; (2) restorative quality -> physical activity; (3) perceived traffic pollution -> restorative quality; (4) and noise annoyance -> physical activity.Results: There was no direct association between objectively-measured greenspace and mental health. For the 500-m buffer, the tests of the single mediator models suggested that restorative quality mediated the relationship between NDVI and mental health. Tests of parallel mediation models did not find any significant indirect effects. In line with theory, tests of the serial mediation models showed that higher restorative quality was associated with more physical activity and more social cohesion, and in turn with better mental health. As for self-reported greenspace measures, single mediation through restorative quality was significant only for time in greenspace, and there was no mediation though restorative quality in the parallel mediation models; however, serial mediation through restorative quality and social cohesion/physical activity was indicated for all self-reported measures except for greenspace quality.Conclusions: Statistical models should adequately address the theoretically indicated interdependencies between mechanisms underlying association between greenspace and mental health. If such causal relationships hold, testing mediators alone or in parallel may lead to incorrect inferences about the relative contribution of specific paths, and thus to inappropriate intervention strategies.
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| 25. |
- Edvinsson, Johanna, Doktorand, et al.
(author)
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A Work Time Control Tradeoff in Flexible Work: Competitive Pathways to Need for Recovery
- 2023
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In: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI. - 1661-7827 .- 1660-4601. ; 20:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Work time control may offer opportunities, but also implies risks for employee recovery, influenced by increased work-related ICT use and overtime work. However, this risk–opportunity tradeoff remains understudied. This study aimed to test two different models of associations between work time control, work-related ICT use, overtime work, and the need for recovery. These models were constructed based on data on office workers with flexible work arrangements. Cross-sectional data were obtained with questionnaires (n = 2582) from employees in a Swedish multi-site organization. Regression models treated the three determinants of the need for recovery either as independent, or as linked in a causal sequence. The test of independent determinants confirmed that more work time control was associated with less need for recovery, whereas more ICT use and overtime work were associated with a higher need for recovery. In a test of serial mediation, more work time control contributed to a greater need for recovery through more ICT use and then more overtime work. Work time control also had a competitive, indirect effect through a negative association with overtime work. Our results suggest that work time control is beneficial for employee recovery, but may for some be associated with more work-related ICT use after regular working hours, thus increasing recovery needs. Policies that support work time control can promote recovery, but employers must attend to the risk of excessive use of ICT outside of regular working hours.
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| 26. |
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| 27. |
- Fransson, Urban, 1948, et al.
(author)
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Leisure home ownership and early death : A longitudinal study in Sweden
- 2010
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In: Health and Place. - : Elsevier BV. - 1353-8292 .- 1873-2054. ; 16:1, s. 71-78
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- People who perform paid work may benefit from psychological restoration afforded by a leisure home and its natural surroundings. This may hinder the development of some forms of life-threatening illness. Using longitudinal register data for 108,114 employed Swedes, we assessed the prospective association between leisure home ownership and death before age 65. Among men, but not among women, leisure home owners had lower odds of early death, after adjustment for sociodemographic and residential characteristics (OR=0.875, 95% CI=0.702-0.980). The results bear on natural environments as health resources, inform debate on urban densification, and broaden the discussion of residence and health.
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| 28. |
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| 29. |
- Gonzalez, Marianne Thorsen, et al.
(author)
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Therapeutic horticulture in clinical depression : a prospective study of active components
- 2010
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In: Journal of Advanced Nursing. - : Wiley. - 0309-2402 .- 1365-2648. ; 66:9, s. 2002-2013
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aim. This paper is a report of a study conducted to assess change in depression severity, perceived attentional capacity and rumination (brooding) in individuals with clinical depression during a therapeutic horticulture programme and to investigate if the changes were mediated by experiences of being away and fascination. Background. Individuals with clinical depression suffer from distortion of attention and rumination. Interventions can help to disrupt maladaptive rumination and promote restoration of depleted attentional capacity. Method. A single-group study was conducted with a convenience sample of 28 people with clinical depression in 2009. Data were collected before, twice during, and immediately after a 12-week therapeutic horticulture programme, and at 3-month follow-up. Assessment instruments were the Beck Depression Inventory, Attentional Function Index, Brooding Scale, and Being Away and Fascination subscales from the Perceived Restorativeness Scale. Findings. Mean Beck Depression Inventory scores declined by 4 center dot 5 points during the intervention (F = 5 center dot 49, P = 0 center dot 002). The decline was clinically relevant for 50% of participants. Attentional Function Index scores increased (F = 4 center dot 14, P = 0 center dot 009), while Brooding scores decreased (F = 4 center dot 51, P = 0 center dot 015). The changes in Beck Depression Inventory and Attentional Function Index scores were mediated by increases in Being Away and Fascination, and decline in Beck Depression Inventory scores was also mediated by decline in Brooding. Participants maintained their improvements in Beck Depression Inventory scores at 3-month follow-up. Conclusion. Being away and fascination appear to work as active components in a therapeutic horticulture intervention for clinical depression.
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- Hartig, Terry, 1959-, et al.
(author)
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Associations between greenspace and mortality vary across contexts of community change : a longitudinal ecological study
- 2020
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In: Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. - : BMJ. - 0143-005X .- 1470-2738. ; 74:6, s. 534-540
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background Concerns about loss of greenspace with urbanisation motivate much research on nature and health; however, contingency of greenspace-health associations on the character of community change remains understudied.Methods With aggregate data from governmental sources for 1432 Swedish parishes, we used negative binomial regression to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality during 2000–2008 in relation to percentage area (in 2000) of urban residential greenspace, urban parks and rural greenspace, looking across parishes with decrease, stability or increase in population density. We also assessed interactions between land use and population change.Results Parishes with ≥1 decile increase in population density had lower incidence of all-cause (IRR=0.91, 95% CI 0.87 to 0.95) and CVD mortality (IRR=0.89, 95% CI 0.84 to 0.94) compared with parishes with stable populations. In stable parishes, all-cause mortality was lower with higher percentages of urban green (IRR=0.998, 95% CI 0.996 to 1.000) and rural green land uses (IRR=0.997, 95% CI 0.996 to 0.999). These results were inverted in densifying parishes; higher all-cause mortality attended higher initial percentages of urban (IRR=1.081, 95% CI 1.037 to 1.127) and rural greenspace (IRR=1.042, 95% CI 1.007 to 1.079) as measured in 2000. Similar associations held for CVD mortality.Conclusions More greenspace was associated with lower all-cause and CVD mortality in communities with relatively stable populations. In densifying communities, population growth per se may reduce mortality, but it may also entail harm through reductions in amount per capita and/or quality of greenspace.
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| 33. |
- Hartig, Terry, 1959-, et al.
(author)
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Die Erholungsperspektive : Verbindung zwischen Naturerleben und Gesundheit
- 2021
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In: Umweltpsychologie. - 1434-3304. ; :25, s. 13-37
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Wir geben eine Einführung in die Erholungsperspektive als Grundlage für einen großen Teil der psychologischen Forschung zur Beziehung zwischen Naturerfahrung und Gesundheit. Diese Perspektive betont die alltäglichen Bedürfnisse des Menschen nach psychischer Erholung sowie das unterschiedliche Potenzial natürlicher und anderer Umgebungen zur Unterstützung der Erholung. Wir stellen die grundlegenden Prämissen des Erholungsansatzes/der Erholungsperspektive neben der Stress- und der Bewältigungsperspektive für die menschliche Anpassung an die Umwelt dar und erörtern die verschiedenen Umweltgestaltungs- und -managementpotenzial die mit diesen drei Perspektiven in Einklang stehen. Wir geben einen Überblick über experimentelle und epidemiologische Forschungsarbeiten, in denen die Erholung als eine Verbindung zwischen Natur und Gesundheit, insbesondere von Stadtbewohnern, betrachtet wurde, und wir erörtern die Notwendigkeit von Forschung zur Kombination von natürlichen und architektonischen Merkmalen in städtischen Umgebungen, um den Erholungsbedürfnissen der Bewohner*innen und anderer Nutzer*innen gerecht zu werden. Der Themenkomplex der Umweltplanung und -gestaltung wird in dem Maße an Bedeutung gewinnen, wie die Stadtbevölkerung wächst und die Sorge um eine nachhaltige Stadtentwicklung zunimmt.
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- Hartig, Terry, 1959-, et al.
(author)
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Housing tenure and early retirement for health reasons in Sweden
- 2006
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In: Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. - : SAGE Publications. - 1403-4948 .- 1651-1905. ; 34:5, s. 472-479
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aims: To assess the association between housing tenure and early retirement for health reasons in Sweden with a view to psychosocial vs. material values of home ownership. Methods: The data come from linked registers that cover all people resident in Sweden during 1990-2000. The study population consists of 449,233 people aged 40-63 years in 1997. Of these, 19,350 retired early for health reasons in 1998-99. The remaining 429,883 continued their employment without extended sick leave or income decline. None moved during 1990-2000. We calculated the odds of early retirement for four forms of juridical relationship to one's housing ( private owner; part owner in a cooperative; private rental; rental from a public housing company), for men and women separately, controlling for age, education, employment income, household disposable income, region, foreign birth, and housing type. Results: Men in cooperative ownership had lower odds of early retirement than those in the three other tenure forms, for which the odds were similar. Among women, public and private renters had similar odds of early retirement, which were higher than those of women in private or cooperative ownership. For both genders, inclusion of housing type in the model after housing tenure explained little additional variance. Conclusions: The odds of early retirement for health reasons varied across different housing tenure forms in Sweden in 1998-99. The pattern of associations differed as a function of gender. Home ownership appears to involve health resources independent of basic sociophysical factors captured with differences in housing type.
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| 43. |
- Hartig, Terry, 1959-
(author)
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Restoration in nature : Beyond the conventional narrative
- 2021
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In: Nature and psychology. - Cham, Switzerland : Springer Nature. - 9783030690199 - 9783030690205 ; , s. 89-151
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The restoration perspective on human adaptation offers a broad view of relations between environment and health; however, it remains underutilized as a source of insight for nature-and-health studies. In this chapter, I start from the restoration perspective in showing ways to extend theory and research concerned with the benefits of nature experience. I first set out the basic premises of the restoration perspective and consider how it has come to have particular relevance for understanding the salutary values now commonly assigned to nature experience. I then discuss the currently conventional theoretical narrative about restorative effects of nature experience and organize some of its components in a general framework for restorative environments theory. Extending the framework, I put forward two additional theories. These call attention to the restoration of resources as held within closer relationships and as held collectively by members of a population. In closing, I consider ways to work with the general framework and further develop the narrative about nature, restoration, and health. The extensions made here raise important considerations for nature preservation efforts, urban planning, health promotion strategies, and ways of thinking about human–nature relations.
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| 44. |
- Hartig, Terry, 1959-
(author)
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Restorative Environments
- 2017. - 2
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In: Reference Module in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Psychology. - Oxford : Elsevier.
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Book chapter (peer-reviewed)abstract
- People inevitably deplete adaptive resources in everyday life. Persistent failure to restore resources that have become depleted will ultimately harm mental and physical health. Restoration proceeds more effectively in some environments than in others, due not only to a relative absence of demands on already depleted resources, but also to environmental characteristics that promote restoration of the depleted resources. Knowledge of the restoration-promoting characteristics of environments can serve people working in diverse fields, from architecture to nature conservation to transportation and urban planning.
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| 45. |
- Hartig, Terry, 1959-
(author)
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Restorative environments
- 2004
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In: Encyclopedia of applied psychology. - Oxford : Elsevier Academic. - 0126574138 ; , s. 273-279
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Book chapter (other academic/artistic)
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| 46. |
- Hartig, Terry, 1959-
(author)
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Restorative housing environments
- 2012
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In: The International Encyclopedia of Housing and Home. - Oxford : Elsevier. - 9780080471631 ; , s. 144-147
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Book chapter (peer-reviewed)
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