Special Issue : Place, Space, and Mental Health

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The Psychology of Recent Nature Visits: (How) Are Motives and Attentional Focus Related to Post-Visit Restorative Experiences, Creativity, and Emotional Well-Being?

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Use of Health Services Among People Living Alone in Finland

Although health issues are more common in people living alone than in those living with someone, research on the service use of people living alone has focused on older age groups. Based on large Finnish cross-sectional health survey (FinHealth 2017, n = 4686), we examined the difference in the use and assessment of health services between those living alone and those living with someone, and whether some sub-groups within those living alone use or perceive the use of health care services differently to those living with someone. The adjusted proportions, based on logistic regression models controlling for demographic variables and perceived health and mental health, showed that those living alone had seen a doctor in the past year less often (65.5%) than those not living alone (71.9%). People living alone had also less often had a health examination in the past 5 years (72.4%) than those not living alone (79.2%), and this proportion was particularly low within people living alone with high levels of depressive symptoms (59.0%) compared to lower levels (75.0%). Conclusively, among people living alone, those who suffer from depressive symptoms might be a potential group that does not receive the same levels of preventive care than others

Urban green space and mental health among people living alone: The mediating roles of relational and collective restoration in an 18-country sample

Rates of living alone, especially in more urbanised areas, are increasing across many industrialised countries, with associated increases in feelings of loneliness and poorer mental health. Recent studies have suggested that access to nature (e.g. parks and green spaces) can reduce the stressors associated with loneliness, partly through providing opportunities to nurture personal relationships (relational restoration) and engage in normative community activities (collective restoration). Such associations might vary across different household compositions and socio-demographic or geographical characteristics, but these have not been thoroughly tested. Using data collected across 18 countries/territories in 2017–2018, we grouped urban respondents into those living alone (n = 2062) and those living with a partner (n = 6218). Using multigroup path modelling, we tested whether the associations between neighbourhood greenspace coverage (1-km-buffer from home) and mental health are sequentially mediated by: (a) visits to greenspace; and subsequently (b) relationship and/or community satisfaction, as operationalisations of relational and collective restoration, respectively. We also tested whether any indirect associations varied among subgroups of respondents living alone. Analyses showed that visiting green space was associated with greater mental well-being and marginally lower odds of using anxiety/depression medication use indirectly, mediated via both relationship and community satisfaction. These indirect associations were equally strong among respondents living alone and those living with a partner. Neighbourhood green space was, additionally, associated with more visits among respondents living with a partner, whereas among those living alone, this was sensitive to the green space metric. Within subgroups of people living alone, few overall differences were found. Some indirect pathways were, nevertheless, stronger in males, under 60-year-olds, those with no financial strain, and residents in warmer climates. In conclusion, supporting those living alone, as well as those living with a partner, to more frequently access their local greenspaces could help improve mental health via promoting relational and collective restoration.publishedVersionPeer reviewe