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Zeng Y, Zhang Q, Yan J, Qi K, Ma A, Liu X, Xiao J. The relationship between nature exposure and depression among Chinese prisoners: a moderated mediation model. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1252864. [PMID: 38449757 PMCID: PMC10916799 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1252864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Aim This study examined the association between self-reported nature exposure and depression among Chinese prisoners, as well as the mediating and moderating effects of meaning in life and callous-unemotional (CU) traits, respectively. Background Prisoners are more likely to experience depression than any other mental illness. Exposure to nature has been proposed as a highly cost-effective method of treating their depressive symptoms. However, the mechanism underlying the link between nature exposure and depression among prisoners needs further investigation, as the findings may provide new insights into how to address depression in incarcerated populations. Method Data were collected through a survey conducted in four prisons in southern China from April to May 2022. The participants were 574 prisoners who anonymously completed four questionnaires about nature exposure, meaning in life, depression, and CU traits. Results The results show that: (1) meaning in life significantly mediates the association between nature exposure and depression, and (2) CU traits moderate the connection between nature exposure and meaning in life. Conclusion The current study uncovered that prisoners who contact more with the natural environment have a higher meaning in life and lower depression, and individuals with higher CU traits can benefit more from nature exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuze Zeng
- School of Criminal Justice, China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing, China
| | - Qingqi Zhang
- School of Sociology, China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing, China
| | - Jinglu Yan
- Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Ke Qi
- The Psychological Counseling Center, China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing, China
| | - Ai Ma
- School of Sociology, China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoqian Liu
- School of Sociology, China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing, China
| | - Junze Xiao
- School of Criminal Justice, China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing, China
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Sun N, Liu W, Zheng Z. Campus outdoor environment, learning engagement, and the mental health of college students during the COVID-19 pandemic: From the perspective of students in different grades. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1143635. [PMID: 37113171 PMCID: PMC10126524 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1143635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction During COVID-19, the mental health of Chinese university students has been a pressing concern. But the internal mechanism of perceived campus outdoor environment and learning engagement affecting college students' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic has not been fully discussed. Methods The current study used cross-sectional data from 45 Chinese universities to explore the relationship among perceptions of campus outdoor environments, learning engagement, and college student mental health, and focused on differences among college students in different grades. Results Our study revealed the mental health problems of Chinese college students during the COVID-19 pandemic were more severe. The mental health of postgraduates was generally poor, and their risk of depression was higher than that of undergraduates. More importantly, for postgraduates, the direct impact of the perceived campus outdoor environment on their mental health was stronger. For undergraduates, the indirect impact of learning engagement on the effect of the perceived campus outdoor environment on their mental health was stronger. Conclusion The results of the study have implications for campus planners, landscape architects, and university planners to pay particular attention to the needs of postgraduates for campus outdoor environments, which is of great significance to improve the overall mental health of students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Bikomeye JC, Namin S, Anyanwu C, Rublee CS, Ferschinger J, Leinbach K, Lindquist P, Hoppe A, Hoffman L, Hegarty J, Sperber D, Beyer KMM. Resilience and Equity in a Time of Crises: Investing in Public Urban Greenspace Is Now More Essential Than Ever in the US and Beyond. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:8420. [PMID: 34444169 PMCID: PMC8392137 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18168420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Revised: 07/31/2021] [Accepted: 08/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
The intersecting negative effects of structural racism, COVID-19, climate change, and chronic diseases disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minorities in the US and around the world. Urban populations of color are concentrated in historically redlined, segregated, disinvested, and marginalized neighborhoods with inadequate quality housing and limited access to resources, including quality greenspaces designed to support natural ecosystems and healthy outdoor activities while mitigating urban environmental challenges such as air pollution, heat island effects, combined sewer overflows and poor water quality. Disinvested urban environments thus contribute to health inequity via physical and social environmental exposures, resulting in disparities across numerous health outcomes, including COVID-19 and chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). In this paper, we build off an existing conceptual framework and propose another conceptual framework for the role of greenspace in contributing to resilience and health equity in the US and beyond. We argue that strategic investments in public greenspaces in urban neighborhoods impacted by long term economic disinvestment are critically needed to adapt and build resilience in communities of color, with urgency due to immediate health threats of climate change, COVID-19, and endemic disparities in chronic diseases. We suggest that equity-focused investments in public urban greenspaces are needed to reduce social inequalities, expand economic opportunities with diversity in workforce initiatives, build resilient urban ecosystems, and improve health equity. We recommend key strategies and considerations to guide this investment, drawing upon a robust compilation of scientific literature along with decades of community-based work, using strategic partnerships from multiple efforts in Milwaukee Wisconsin as examples of success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean C. Bikomeye
- Institute for Health & Equity, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Rd., Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA; (J.C.B.); (S.N.); (C.A.)
| | - Sima Namin
- Institute for Health & Equity, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Rd., Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA; (J.C.B.); (S.N.); (C.A.)
| | - Chima Anyanwu
- Institute for Health & Equity, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Rd., Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA; (J.C.B.); (S.N.); (C.A.)
| | - Caitlin S. Rublee
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Rd., Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA;
| | - Jamie Ferschinger
- Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers, Environmental Health & Community Wellness, 1337 S Cesar Chavez Drive, Milwaukee, WI 53204, USA;
| | - Ken Leinbach
- The Urban Ecology Center, 1500 E. Park Place, Milwaukee, WI 53211, USA;
| | - Patricia Lindquist
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry, 101 S. Webster Street, P.O. Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707, USA;
| | - August Hoppe
- The Urban Wood Lab, Hoppe Tree Service, 1813 S. 73rd Street, West Allis, WI 53214, USA;
| | - Lawrence Hoffman
- Department of GIS, Groundwork Milwaukee, 227 West Pleasant Street, Milwaukee, WI 53212, USA;
| | - Justin Hegarty
- Reflo—Sustainable Water Solutions, 1100 S 5th Street, Milwaukee, WI 53204, USA;
| | - Dwayne Sperber
- Wudeward Urban Forest Products, N11W31868 Phyllis Parkway, Delafield, WI 53018, USA;
| | - Kirsten M. M. Beyer
- Institute for Health & Equity, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Rd., Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA; (J.C.B.); (S.N.); (C.A.)
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Wright S. From 'holding pen' to 'a space to breathe': affective landscapes in a newly-integrated sexual health clinic. SOCIOLOGY OF HEALTH & ILLNESS 2019; 41:806-820. [PMID: 30714162 DOI: 10.1111/1467-9566.12852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
This paper examines the role of affective landscapes in the formation of attendees' experiences at a re-provisioned, integrated sexual and reproductive healthcare facility. The 'One-Stop Shop' (OSS) is an example of the organisational shift towards integrated services occurring across the UK, bringing together in one clinic the historically discreet services of genitourinary medicine, HIV medicine and Family Planning. An ethnographically-informed study of new spaces of care and changed organisation, this paper focuses on the experiences of 29 attendees as they made their way along the clinic's care pathways. Drawing on concepts of affect and atmosphere to augment the analytic lens of 'therapeutic landscapes', this paper demonstrates how various spaces of the clinic influenced attendees' experiences. A cramped, featureless 'holding pen', the foyer served to exacerbate pre-existing anxieties while creating new fears. The main waiting room, an organisational sorting space, both soothed and aggravated attendees' concerns. Serving as an architectural feature to connect the old Victorian hospital with the new clinical extension, the atrium was experienced as a space to breathe, with an affective atmosphere that challenged the assumed unpleasantness of sexual health clinics. This paper demonstrates how affective landscapes of the clinic shape attendee experiences in a novel setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Wright
- School of Health in Social Science, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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Prisoner exposure to nature: Benefits for wellbeing and citizenship. Med Hypotheses 2019; 123:13-18. [PMID: 30696583 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2018.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2018] [Revised: 09/19/2018] [Accepted: 12/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The direct or indirect experience of crime can cause individuals to feel vengeful against the perpetrator(s). The prison system reflects this sentiment by creating austere environments that are dehumanizing, punitive, and hopeless. Prisons are, therefore, environments in which retribution and punishment take priority over rehabilitation. Frequently, prisoners are believed to be untreatable because of their antisocial orientation. However, several factors influence an antisocial orientation such as socioeconomic status, family of origin, and mental health. The ubiquitous nothing works misbelief has resulted in prisoner marginalization and increased recidivism because of insufficient treatment. In 2015, 10 million individuals were incarcerated worldwide with around 30 million circulating through prisons each year. The prison environment decreases prisoner life expectancy and overall health. Sadly, prisoner benefits from treatment post-incarceration dissipate after 3-6 months and many prisoners die by suicide or drug overdose. Prison overpopulation, as well as poor outcome post-incarceration, requires more effective treatment. We hypothesize that Prisoner Exposure to Nature (PEN) can transform prisons into environments that are conducive to maintaining and improving physical and mental health. In prior work we proposed the continuum Nature Exposure Sufficiency (NES) versus Nature Exposure Insufficiency (NEI). Prisons are impoverished environments that limit Nature Exposure (NE) which results in NEI. Individuals experience fluctuations in mental and physical health as a result of NEI. Numerous studies have shown that direct and indirect NE can improve mood, physical health, and facilitate connectivity with self and society. It is necessary to consider ways in which we can incorporate NE for prisoner wellbeing. Additionally, it is crucial that prison personnel and prisoners develop a therapeutic/helping relationship (i.e., alliance) that is facilitated by friendliness and warmth to foster social change and citizenship. Many prisoners experience isolation and disconnection with society upon reentry. Given that most prisoners are eventually released into the community, we are obligated not to make them worse. Hence, it is important that prisons create programs that develop citizenship to engender prisoner volition to become positive and active citizens. We focus on the prison and prisoners, however our work is relevant to all total institutions (e.g., mental hospitals, nursing homes, schools, etc.). The prison system favors punishment and mass incarceration over treatment and decarceration. The deleterious effects of incarceration are clear and it is time to implement treatments based on the principles of PEN to improve prisoner wellbeing and citizenship.
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