Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 May 31;18(11):5897.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph18115897.

A Scoping Review of Nature, Land, and Environmental Connectedness and Relatedness

Samantha Keaulana  1   2 , Melissa Kahili-Heede  1   3 , Lorinda Riley  1   2 , Mei Linn N Park  4 , Kuaiwi Laka Makua  1   2 , Jetney Kahaulahilahi Vegas  1   2 , Mapuana C K Antonio  1   2
Affiliations

A Scoping Review of Nature, Land, and Environmental Connectedness and Relatedness

Samantha Keaulana et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

The importance of nature and the environment in relation to human health is coalescing, as demonstrated by the increased research that attempts to measure nature connectedness and relatedness. These findings align with constructs of cultural connectedness that assess for land connectedness as part of Indigenous ways of knowing. From an Indigenous worldview, relationships with the environment are critical to wellbeing. The purpose of this comprehensive systematic scoping literature review was two-fold: (1) identify and summarize existing measures of land, nature, and/or environmental connectedness, relatedness, and attitudes and (2) evaluate the psychometric properties of these scales. In total, 1438 articles were retrieved from select databases including PubMed/MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL (EBSCO), and Academic Search Complete (EBSCO). The final searches and application of the inclusion/exclusion criteria resulted in 57 unique articles and 38 scales categorized as connectedness and relatedness scales (n = 9 scales), attitudinal and values-based scales (n = 16 scales), cultural and spiritually based scales (n = 9 scales), and paradigm-based scales (n = 4 scales) (articles could be placed in multiple categories). Psychometric properties and general outcomes associated with nature-related scales are reported, with implications for future education, research, practice, and policy.

Keywords: cultural connectedness; environment; land; nature; psychometrics; spirituality; systematic review.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA Flowchart Diagram.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Santas A. Aristotelian Ethics and Biophilia. Ethics Environ. 2014;19:95–121. doi: 10.2979/ethicsenviro.19.1.95. - DOI
    1. Wilson E.O. Biophilia. Harvard University Press; Cambridge, MA, USA: 1984.
    1. Mayer F.S., Frantz C.M. The Connectedness to Nature Scale: A Measure of Individuals’ Feeling in Community with Nature. J. Environ. Psychol. 2004;24:503–515. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2004.10.001. - DOI
    1. Nisbet E.K., Zelenski J.M., Murphy S.A. The Nature Relatedness Scale: Linking Individuals’ Connection with Nature to Environmental Concern and Behavior. Environ. Behav. 2009;41:715–740. doi: 10.1177/0013916508318748. - DOI
    1. Schultz P.W. Inclusion with Nature: The Psychology Of Human-Nature Relations. In: Schmuck P., Schultz W.P., editors. Psychology of Sustainable Development. Springer; Boston, MA, USA: 2002. pp. 61–78.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources