The relationship between frequency of nature exposure, nature connectedness and subjective well-being

S obzirom na sve veću odvojenost ljudi od prirode, ali i spoznaja o tome kako je boravak u prirodi povezan s brojnim pozitivnim pokazateljima ljudskog funkcioniranja, kako fiziološkim tako i psihološkim, te zbog potrebe replikacije prethodnih studija na drugim populacijama pa tako i na hrvatskoj populaciji, cilj ovog istraživanja bio je ispitati odnos čestine boravka u prirodi, povezanosti s prirodom i subjektivne dobrobiti. Istraživanje je provedeno na heterogenom uzorku sudionika s područja Republike Hrvatske. Sudjelovalo je 479 sudionika, od kojih 285 žena, 191 muškarac i 3 osobe koje se nisu izjasnile po pitanju roda. Za mjerenje čestine boravka u prirodi korišten je dio skale autora Kamitsis i Francis (2013; NES ‒ Nature Exposure Scale). Skala autora Mayer i Frantz (2004; CNS ‒Connectedness to Nature Scale) koristila se za mjerenje povezanosti s prirodom. Subjektivna dobrobit mjerila se s dvije skale: skalom Dienera i suradnika (2010; SPANE ‒ Scale of Positive and Negative Experience) mjerio se emocionalni aspekt subjektivne dobrobiti, a kognitivni aspekt subjektivne dobrobiti (zadovoljstvo životom), mjerio se skalom Dienera i suradnika (1985; SWLS ‒ Satisfaction With Life Scale). U istraživanju je utvrđeno kako je čestina boravka u prirodi pozitivno povezana s povezanosti s prirodom. Pozitivna povezanost je također utvrđena u odnosu između čestine boravka u prirodi i subjektivne dobrobiti, kao i u odnosu između povezanosti s prirodom i subjektivne dobrobiti. Osim toga, istraživanje je i produbilo nalaze o odnosu između čestine boravka u prirodi i subjektivne dobrobiti uključivanjem konstrukta povezanosti s prirodom kao medijatora tog odnosa, te je utvrđeno kako povezanost s prirodom djelomično posreduje u tom odnosu.Considering increasing human-nature disconnection and findings which are showing that nature exposure relates to numerous positive indicators of human functioning, both physiological and psychological, and due to the need of replicating previous studies in other populations, including the Croatian population, the aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the frequency of nature exposure, nature connectedness and subjective well-being. The research was conducted on a heterogeneous sample of participants from the Republic of Croatia. There were 479 participants included in the study, of which 285 women, 191 men and 3 persons who did not clarify their gender. Part of the Nature Exposure Scale (Kamitsis & Francis, 2013) was used to obtain data on the frequency of nature exposure. Nature connectedness was measured using the Connectedness to Nature Scale (Mayer & Frantz, 2004). Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (Diener et.al., 2010) and Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener et.al., 1985) were administered to measure emotional and cognitive aspects of subjective wellbeing. The results of this study indicate that there is a positive corelation between the frequency of nature exposure and connectedness to nature. Also, there is a positive correlation between the frequency of nature exposure and subjective well-being as well as between connectedness to nature and subjective well-being. This research also went a step further and deepened the insights about the relationship between nature exposure and subjective wellbeing, taking the construct of nature connectedness as a mediator in that relation, and the results showed that connectedness to nature is a partial mediator of that relationship

The relationship between frequency of nature exposure, nature connectedness and subjective well-being

S obzirom na sve veću odvojenost ljudi od prirode, ali i spoznaja o tome kako je boravak u prirodi povezan s brojnim pozitivnim pokazateljima ljudskog funkcioniranja, kako fiziološkim tako i psihološkim, te zbog potrebe replikacije prethodnih studija na drugim populacijama pa tako i na hrvatskoj populaciji, cilj ovog istraživanja bio je ispitati odnos čestine boravka u prirodi, povezanosti s prirodom i subjektivne dobrobiti. Istraživanje je provedeno na heterogenom uzorku sudionika s područja Republike Hrvatske. Sudjelovalo je 479 sudionika, od kojih 285 žena, 191 muškarac i 3 osobe koje se nisu izjasnile po pitanju roda. Za mjerenje čestine boravka u prirodi korišten je dio skale autora Kamitsis i Francis (2013; NES ‒ Nature Exposure Scale). Skala autora Mayer i Frantz (2004; CNS ‒Connectedness to Nature Scale) koristila se za mjerenje povezanosti s prirodom. Subjektivna dobrobit mjerila se s dvije skale: skalom Dienera i suradnika (2010; SPANE ‒ Scale of Positive and Negative Experience) mjerio se emocionalni aspekt subjektivne dobrobiti, a kognitivni aspekt subjektivne dobrobiti (zadovoljstvo životom), mjerio se skalom Dienera i suradnika (1985; SWLS ‒ Satisfaction With Life Scale). U istraživanju je utvrđeno kako je čestina boravka u prirodi pozitivno povezana s povezanosti s prirodom. Pozitivna povezanost je također utvrđena u odnosu između čestine boravka u prirodi i subjektivne dobrobiti, kao i u odnosu između povezanosti s prirodom i subjektivne dobrobiti. Osim toga, istraživanje je i produbilo nalaze o odnosu između čestine boravka u prirodi i subjektivne dobrobiti uključivanjem konstrukta povezanosti s prirodom kao medijatora tog odnosa, te je utvrđeno kako povezanost s prirodom djelomično posreduje u tom odnosu.Considering increasing human-nature disconnection and findings which are showing that nature exposure relates to numerous positive indicators of human functioning, both physiological and psychological, and due to the need of replicating previous studies in other populations, including the Croatian population, the aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the frequency of nature exposure, nature connectedness and subjective well-being. The research was conducted on a heterogeneous sample of participants from the Republic of Croatia. There were 479 participants included in the study, of which 285 women, 191 men and 3 persons who did not clarify their gender. Part of the Nature Exposure Scale (Kamitsis & Francis, 2013) was used to obtain data on the frequency of nature exposure. Nature connectedness was measured using the Connectedness to Nature Scale (Mayer & Frantz, 2004). Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (Diener et.al., 2010) and Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener et.al., 1985) were administered to measure emotional and cognitive aspects of subjective wellbeing. The results of this study indicate that there is a positive corelation between the frequency of nature exposure and connectedness to nature. Also, there is a positive correlation between the frequency of nature exposure and subjective well-being as well as between connectedness to nature and subjective well-being. This research also went a step further and deepened the insights about the relationship between nature exposure and subjective wellbeing, taking the construct of nature connectedness as a mediator in that relation, and the results showed that connectedness to nature is a partial mediator of that relationship

Body appreciation around the world: Measurement invariance of the Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age

The Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) is a widely used measure of a core facet of the positive body image construct. However, extant research concerning measurement invariance of the BAS-2 across a large number of nations remains limited. Here, we utilised the Body Image in Nature (BINS) dataset - with data collected between 2020 and 2022 - to assess measurement invariance of the BAS-2 across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis indicated that full scalar invariance was upheld across all nations, languages, gender identities, and age groups, suggesting that the unidimensional BAS-2 model has widespread applicability. There were large differences across nations and languages in latent body appreciation, while differences across gender identities and age groups were negligible-to-small. Additionally, greater body appreciation was significantly associated with higher life satisfaction, being single (versus being married or in a committed relationship), and greater rurality (versus urbanicity). Across a subset of nations where nation-level data were available, greater body appreciation was also significantly associated with greater cultural distance from the United States and greater relative income inequality. These findings suggest that the BAS-2 likely captures a near-universal conceptualisation of the body appreciation construct, which should facilitate further cross-cultural research