The relationship between greenspace and the mental wellbeing of adults: A systematic review

INTRODUCTION: The view that interacting with nature enhances mental wellbeing is commonplace, despite a dearth of evidence or even agreed definitions of 'nature'. The aim of this review was to systematically appraise the evidence for associations between greenspace and mental wellbeing, stratified by the different ways in which greenspace has been conceptualised in quantitative research. METHODS: We undertook a comprehensive database search and thorough screening of articles which included a measure of greenspace and validated mental wellbeing tool, to capture aspects of hedonic and/or eudaimonic wellbeing. Quality and risk of bias in research were assessed to create grades of evidence. We undertook detailed narrative synthesis of the 50 studies which met the review inclusion criteria, as methodological heterogeneity precluded meta-analysis. RESULTS: Results of a quality assessment and narrative synthesis suggest associations between different greenspace characteristics and mental wellbeing. We identified six ways in which greenspace was conceptualised and measured: (i) amount of local-area greenspace; (ii) greenspace type; (iii) visits to greenspace; (iv) views of greenspace; (v) greenspace accessibility; and (vi) self-reported connection to nature. There was adequate evidence for associations between the amount of local-area greenspace and life satisfaction (hedonic wellbeing), but not personal flourishing (eudaimonic wellbeing). Evidence for associations between mental wellbeing and visits to greenspace, accessibility, and types of greenspace was limited. There was inadequate evidence for associations with views of greenspace and connectedness to nature. Several studies reported variation in associations between greenspace and wellbeing by life course stage, gender, levels of physically activity or attitudes to nature. CONCLUSIONS: Greenspace has positive associations with mental wellbeing (particularly hedonic wellbeing), but the evidence is not currently sufficient or specific enough to guide planning decisions. Further studies are needed, based on dynamic measures of greenspace, reflecting access and uses of greenspace, and measures of both eudaimonic and hedonic mental wellbeing

“It levels you out again but you're not dealing with the trauma”: An exploration into how people with a history of interpersonal childhood trauma and psychosis subjectively experience antipsychotic medications

© 2020 Ilias KamitsisAmong people diagnosed with psychotic disorders, those with a history of interpersonal childhood trauma (ICT) present with a more complex clinical profile. In addition to experiencing hallucinations/delusions, these individuals can experience a range of post-traumatic stress/trauma-related symptoms and, more specifically, the distress associated with remembering/re-experiencing traumatic events. There is also a high likelihood that people with trauma and psychosis will experience dissociation, depression, anxiety, suicidality, substance use and cognitive impairment. Irrespective of their symptomatic profile, these individuals are often prescribed an antipsychotic medication. Little is known about how these individuals experience the emotional, cognitive and physical effects of antipsychotics or how antipsychotics influence their trauma-related and other non-psychotic symptoms. Thus, this study aimed to explore how people with psychosis and a history of ICT subjectively experience the wide-ranging psychological and physical effects of antipsychotic medications. An embedded mixed-methods research design with a qualitative phenomenological priority was implemented. Nineteen people who were diagnosed with psychosis and had experienced ICT participated in semi-structured interviews. Participants were specifically asked about how antipsychotics influenced their 1) general emotional, cognitive and physical states, 2) trauma-related thoughts, emotions and physical responses and 3) dissociative symptoms (depersonalisation and derealisation). Participants’ interview transcripts were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The results demonstrated that, for most participants, antipsychotic medications altered the way they experienced their memories of childhood trauma. There were differences between participants in how antipsychotics altered their trauma memories. Some participants indicated that their medication alleviated the frequency and/or intensity of distressing trauma-related thoughts, emotions and/or physical symptoms, while others mentioned that their flashbacks and thoughts of past traumatic events intensified. Participants also reported that, by supressing trauma-related thoughts and emotions, antipsychotics prevented them from confronting or processing their childhood trauma. While participants considered this beneficial in the short term, they recognised that they would need to confront their trauma to heal. As such, having trauma memories supressed by the emotional and cognitive effects of antipsychotics was not considered beneficial in the long term by these participants. There was also a mixed response from participants about whether antipsychotic medications altered their dissociative symptoms. Many participants reported that antipsychotics supressed their emotions and/or impaired their cognitive functioning, while a few mentioned that they were able to think more clearly and concentrate for longer. Many participants also described varying adverse physical effects of antipsychotic medications. The most common were weight gain and movement difficulties. Participants reported that they had tried many different antipsychotics before finding a medication that was somewhat effective in alleviating their psychotic symptoms. This study’s findings suggest that the cognitive, emotional and physiological effects of antipsychotic medications can be experienced as beneficial or detrimental depending, in part, on how they influence trauma-related thoughts/emotions/physical responses and dissociative symptoms. These findings highlight the need for intervention studies that evaluate the effect of antipsychotic medication on the trauma-related/post-traumatic stress and dissociative symptoms of people with a history of childhood trauma and psychosis

Spirituality mediates the relationship between engagement with nature and psychological wellbeing

Engagement with nature, through both direct sensory exposure and a sense of connectedness, has been shown to have a positive effect on psychological health; although the mechanisms mediating these effects remain obscure. Spirituality, which has been posited within ecopsychology frameworks to be experienced in and through a sense of relationship with nature, may be one such mediating variable. The aim of the present study was to determine the extent to which engaging with nature, through both exposure and connectedness, influences psychological health, and the role of spirituality in this relationship. 132 females and 58 males with a mean age of 36.8 years (SD=13.1 years) completed surveys comprising (1) the Nature Exposure Scale, (2) the Connectedness to Nature Scale, (3) the Mysticism Scale, and (4) the psychological health subscale of the WHOQOL-BREF. Nature exposure and connectedness to nature were positively associated with psychological wellbeing and greater reported spirituality. Furthermore, through the implementation of a hierarchical regression and mediation analysis, positive relationships between both nature exposure and connectedness to nature with psychological wellbeing, were significantly mediated by spirituality. It is concluded that spirituality can be an important aspect of one's experience of nature and, as a consequence, the positive effects derived from it

Madeleine Vionnet / texte de Lydia Kamitsis,...

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A Culturally Responsive Trauma-Informed Public Health Emergency Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities in Australia, Developed during COVID-19

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic impacted peoples’ livelihoods and mental wellbeing. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia continue to experience intergenerational trauma associated with colonization and may experience trauma-related distress in response to government responses to public health emergencies. We aimed to develop a culturally responsive trauma-informed public health emergency response framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led study involved: (i) a review of trauma-informed public health emergency responses to develop a draft framework (ii) interviews with 110 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents about how COVID-19 impacted their lives, and (iii) a workshop with 36 stakeholders about pandemic experiences using framework analysis to refine a culturally responsive trauma-informed framework. The framework included: an overarching philosophy (cultural humility, safety and responsiveness); key enablers (local leadership and Eldership); supporting strategies (provision of basic needs and resources, well-functioning social systems, human rights, dignity, choice, justice and ethics, mutuality and collective responsibility, and strengthening of existing systems); interdependent core concepts (safety, transparency, and empowerment, holistic support, connectedness and collaboration, and compassion, protection and caring); and central goals (a sense of security, resilience, wellbeing, self- and collective-efficacy, hope, trust, resilience, and healing from grief and loss)

Defining the psychology of religion and place : a concept analysis

This chapter clarifies the psychology of religion and place (PRP) by providing conceptual and operational definition of the concept as a first step in the systematic analysis of PRP for future research. Concept analysis is a method designed by Walker and Avant (Strategies for Theory Construction in Nursing. Pearson, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2011) for identifying the defining attributes of a concept. Drawing on this analytical method, we identify the attributes and characteristics of PRP and its theoretical and practical applications to the field of psychology. Sample cases were extracted from chapters in our current book, which illustrate PRP further as the constellation of subjective relational and spiritual experiences in spatial settings. This operational definition is based on the following defining attributes of PRP as (1) the relational experience between two, or more, entities; (2) the spiritual experiences in sacred places with connections to the past; (3) experiencing the sacred in natural environments; (4) spaces where identity and attachment are formed; and, (5) resilience and meaning-making in places of religious significance. PRP was further classified and defined in terms of its antecedents (how it starts), consequences (the effects), exemplar cases and referents. Further research in the field needs to examine the cross-cultural dimensions of PRP and develop instruments for assessing it

Self-esteem mediates the relationship between connectedness to nature and body appreciation in women, but not men

Connectedness to nature (i.e., an affective and experiential connection to nature) is known to have a positive effect on psychological well-being, but its specific associations with body image have not been fully examined. To attend to this oversight, we conducted a preliminary investigation of associations between connectedness to nature and body appreciation. A total of 380 British adults completed measures of connectedness to nature, body appreciation, and self-esteem. Bivariate correlations revealed significant positive associations between all variables in women. In men, body appreciation was significantly correlated with self-esteem, but not connectedness to nature. Mediation analysis showed that, in women, self-esteem fully mediated the relationship between connectedness to nature and body appreciation. In men, body appreciation was significantly associated with self-esteem, but not connectedness to nature. These results point to a potential route for improving body image among women through connectedness to nature and self-esteem, but further research is necessary