The experiences of nature in our childhood can have an impact on the mental well-being of our adulthood.
The experiences of nature in our childhood can have an impact on the mental well-being of our adulthood.
Spending time in natural parks and forested areas has been shown to be beneficial for mental health in adulthood. Studies have shown that being surrounded by “green spaces” can reduce stress.
However, the importance of being near bodies of water or ‘blue spaces’ and the effects of being exposed to such environments are not well researched.
Now a to study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology has collected data from the BlueHealth International Survey (BIS), a cross-sectional survey coordinated by the European Center for Environment and Human Health at the University of Exeter.
Data from 18 countries (14 European and 4 non-European countries) show that people who recall spending time around rivers and lakes during their childhood place higher intrinsic value on natural environments. They also tend to spend more time in nature as adults, which translates to greater mental well-being.
Read also | How Anxiety May Look Different in Children
“Our findings suggest that building familiarity and trust in and around blue spaces during childhood may stimulate an inherent joy of nature and encourage people to seek recreational natural experiences, with beneficial consequences for adult mental health.” Valeria Vitale, lead author of the study. she said in a press release.
The scientists analyzed the responses of more than 15,000 people who had spent the first 16 years of their lives near or around a body of water.
They assessed how close respondents were to a body of water, how often they visited, how comfortable their parents were with them playing in these environments, their most recent interaction with green or blue spaces during the past four weeks, and their health. mind for the last two weeks.
Dr. Leanne Martine, another author of the study, said that although bodies of water are normally considered dangerous for children, the research suggests that allowing them to become comfortable in such environments and develop skills such as swimming at an early age may have “unpredictable lives.” recognized”. -prolonged benefits’.
Explaining the importance of the study, study co-author Dr. Matthew White said it was “augmenting our growing awareness of the need for safe access from urban planners and local agencies responsible for managing our green and blue spaces.” and accessible to natural environments”. for the healthy mental and physical development of our children”.
