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
. 2023 Jul 23;20(14):6432.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph20146432.

Engagement with Nature and the Home Environment: Wellbeing and Proenvironmental Behavior among Irish and Italian University Students during the COVID-19 Emergency

Iana Ivanova Tzankova  1 , Catherine O'Sullivan  2 , Alessandra Iva Facciuto  2 , Luciana Sacchetti  3 , Fabiana Fini  4 , Elvira Cicognani  5 , Annalisa Setti  2
Affiliations

Engagement with Nature and the Home Environment: Wellbeing and Proenvironmental Behavior among Irish and Italian University Students during the COVID-19 Emergency

Iana Ivanova Tzankova et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Growing evidence shows that exposure to nature and psychological engagement with nature improve health and wellbeing and promote greater proenvironmental engagement. The unprecedented situation created by COVID-related lockdowns seems to have brought both potential distress with household confinements and greater research on experiences in nature. University students may have been particularly impacted as the quality of their home arrangements can vary substantially. The aim of the study was to examine how psychological engagement with nature (nature connectedness and noticing nature), time spent in nature, and household conditions relate to psychological wellbeing and proenvironmental behavior among university students. An online survey was administered to a sample of 566 university students from Italy and Ireland. Hierarchical multiple regressions were performed to investigate the relationships between variables. The results indicate that time spent in nature and psychological engagement with nature in terms of nature connectedness and noticing nature were associated with increased wellbeing and pro-nature-conservation behavior, controlling for demographic covariates. Moreover, the perception of chaos in one's household was related to decreased wellbeing during the prolonged COVID-19 emergency. The findings highlight the need to invest in accessible natural places for students and to focus campus sustainability practices on encouraging nature connectedness to promote wellbeing and proenvironmental engagement.

Keywords: household chaos; nature connectedness; proenvironmental behavior; time in nature; wellbeing.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

    1. Counted V., Cowden R.G., Ramkissoon H. Place and Post-Pandemic Flourishing: Disruption, Adjustment, and Healthy Behaviors. Springer International Publishing; Cham, Switzerland: 2021. SpringerBriefs in Psychology.
    1. Browning M.H.E.M., Larson L.R., Sharaievska I., Rigolon A., McAnirlin O., Mullenbach L., Cloutier S., Vu T.M., Thomsen J., Reigner N., et al. Psychological Impacts from COVID-19 among University Students: Risk Factors across Seven States in the United States. PLoS ONE. 2021;16:e0245327. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0245327. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Keyserlingk L., Yamaguchi-Pedroza K., Arum R., Eccles J.S. Stress of University Students before and after Campus Closure in Response to COVID-19. J. Community Psychol. 2022;50:285–301. doi: 10.1002/jcop.22561. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Richardson M., Hamlin I. Nature Engagement for Human and Nature’s Well-Being during the Corona Pandemic. J. Public Ment. Health. 2021;20:83–93. doi: 10.1108/JPMH-02-2021-0016. - DOI
    1. Capaldi C., Passmore H.-A., Nisbet E., Zelenski J., Dopko R. Flourishing in Nature: A Review of the Benefits of Connecting with Nature and Its Application as a Wellbeing Intervention. Int. J. Wellbeing. 2015;5:1–16. doi: 10.5502/ijw.v5i4.449. - DOI