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Introduction
You may not realize it but urban green spaces like parks, community gardens, and urban forests are essential for improving the quality of life for individuals and communities (Barton & Rogerson, 2017). Numerous individuals among demographic groups struggle with mental health issues, but one group has been shown to struggle a little more than others, which are college students (Abrams, 2022). Urban green spaces have been proven to serve as essential remedies, offering areas that allow for unwinding, happiness, and reconnecting with the outside world which have been proven to reduce stress, feelings of depression, and anxiety (Europe, 2016). Needless to say, there is a relationship between access to urban green spaces and mental health, so how does having access to these urban green spaces specifically affect students' mental health?
Mental Health
Mental Health
As the primary contributor to disability worldwide, mental health is receiving more attention than ever as the number of mental health disorders worldwide seems to be increasing, especially among college students, specifically depression (Wood et al., 2017).
According to a Healthy Minds Study that collected data from 373 campuses nationwide, in the 2020-2021 academic year, more than 60% of students met the criteria for having at least one mental health issue (Abrams, 2022)
Among several U.S studies of campus counseling services, one such study revealed that over 13 years, the number of students seen with depression doubled; the number of suicides tripled (Storrie et al., 2010)
Urban Green Spaces
Urban Green Spaces
Campus green spaces like public parks are accessible, underutilized resources that can be paired with eco-therapy interventions to reduce stress and improve mental health, as well as the overall well-being of individuals (Ibes et al., 2018).
Urban green spaces play an essential role as a “green lung” in certain areas as they provide many important ecosystem services (Marx et al., 2020), some examples of these green spaces include parks, green roofs, and community gardens.
The European World Health Organization, evidence reveals that urban green spaces result in beneficial effects, like improved mental health.
Research Question: How does having access to urban green spaces affect college student mental health?
Objectives and Justification:
The significance of this research question comes from the fact that mental health has become a big concern among students, and a student’s environment is a major factor regarding their mental health (Liu, et. al., 2022)
The significance of this research question comes from the fact that mental health has become a big concern among students, and a student’s environment is a major factor regarding their mental health (Liu, et. al., 2022)
This research will allow plenty more colleges/universities to understand the importance of including more urban green spaces on campus, because of this, student mental health could drastically change for the better.
The Effect of Green Spaces on Mental Health
Having access to these green spaces provides students with a way to properly relieve the stress, frustration, and anxiety that come with juggling academic work and other responsibilities
It is advised that universities should include more urban green spaces on their campus like community gardens and small parks that can support their students’ mental health.
According to the stress education theory, exposure to green spaces with an abundance of vegetation can lower negative thoughts and decrease arousal levels through unconscious psychophysiological pathways (Bratman et al, 2012)
Past study results showed that students who regularly participate in active learning in a green environment reported better overall mood, higher quality of life, and less stress than students who had passive interactions (Holt, et al., 2019).
Methods:
This study will consist of collecting information regarding an individual's current mental health and their relationship with green spaces. To accurately collect this information, I will be using surveys and interviews to collect such data.
This study will involve student participants from the population of Grand Valley State University I will be using simple random sampling as well as convenience sampling to collect data
Survey
Simple random sampling will be used, which in this case means every student has an equal chance of being selected to take the survey, as well as the survey will be emailed out to every GVSU student.
The survey will consist of 20 questions, qualitative and quantitative, regarding mental health and having access to green spaces and their effects. The answer options will be simple yes or questions, as well as questions using the Likert Scale(1-5). For example, higher numbers will mean better mental health
The data collected from the survey will be put into an Excel spreadsheet and analyzed using statistical analysis to find associations between variables.
Interview
Interview
To collect more viewpoints and even more data, I will be using convenience sampling by interviewing random students who are on the GVSU campus.
This process will take place on two random weekdays when a majority of classes take place, I will spend the majority of the morning and afternoon interviewing random students walking on campus who consent to being interviewed.
Similar to the survey, the interview questions will follow the same theme but the questions will only be qualitative.
After the interviewing process, I will gather all my collected data and use another Excel spreadsheet
The data will also be analyzed using statistical analysis to compare and find associations between variables, then the results will be written.
What are the limitations of this study?
For this study, there could be limitations regarding the sample size, social-desirability bias, and other factors/variables that are not included in the study. For example, even though I am giving a good amount of time for students to complete the survey, a good amount may not be interested and not take the survey which could lead to my sample size being smaller.
Other factors/variables regarding mental health may affect the results, such as an individual who had a recent traumatic event that is affecting their mental health more than usual.
References
References
Abrams, Z. (2022, October 12). Student mental health is in crisis. Campuses are rethinking their approach. Monitor on Psychology, 53(7).
Barton, J., & Rogerson, M. (2017). The importance of greenspace for mental health. BJPsych International, 14(4), 79–81.
Blee, K.M., Currier, A. (2011). Ethics Beyond the IRB: An Introductory Essay. Qual Sociol 34, 401–413
Bratman, G. N., Hamilton, J. P., & Daily, G. C. (2012). The impacts of nature's experience on human cognitive function and mental health. Annals of the New York academy of sciences, 1249(1), 118-136.
Driscoll, D. L. (2011). Introduction to Primary Research: Observations, Surveys, and Interviews. Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing (pp.153-174). Parlor Press.
Europe, W. H. O. R. O. (2016). Urban green spaces and health. World Health Organization. Regional Office for Europe.
Holt, E. W., Lombard, Q. K., Best, N., Smiley-Smith, S., & Quinn, J. E. (2019). Active and Passive Use of Green Space, Health, and Well-Being amongst University Students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(3), Article 3.
Ibes, D., Hirama, I., & Schuyler, C. (2018). Greenspace Ecotherapy Interventions: The Stress-Reduction Potential of Green Micro-Breaks Integrating Nature Connection and Mind-Body Skills. Ecopsychology, 10(3), 137–150.
Liu W, Sun N, Guo J, Zheng Z. (2022). Campus Green Spaces, Academic Achievement and Mental Health of College Students. Int J Environ Res Public Health.
Marx, C., Soulsby, C., Hinkelmann, R., & Tetzlaff, D. (2020). Stable isotope transformations in the critical zone of contrasting urban green spaces. AGU 2020 Fall Meeting, 2020.
Storrie, K., Ahern, K., & Tuckett, A. (2010). A systematic review: Students with mental health problems—A growing problem. International Journal of Nursing Practice, 16(1), 1–6.
Wood, L., Hooper, P., Foster, S., & Bull, F. (2017). Public green spaces and positive mental health – investigating the relationship between access, quantity, and types of parks and mental wellbeing. Health & Place, 48, 63–71.
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