Impact of Changed Use of Greenspace during COVID-19 Pandemic on Depression and Anxiety.

Seulkee Heo,Michelle L. Bell,Miraj U. Desai,Sarah R. Lowe

doi:10.3390/ijerph18115842

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating consequences for health, social, and economic domains, but what has received far less focus is the effect on people’s relationship to vital ecological supports, including access to greenspace. We assessed patterns of greenspace use in relation to individual and environmental factors and their relationship with experiencing psychological symptoms under the pandemic. We conducted an online survey recruiting participants from social media for adults in Korea for September–December 2020. The survey collected data on demographics, patterns of using greenspace during the pandemic, and major depression (MD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) symptoms. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 2-item (GAD-2) were applied to identify probable cases of MD and GAD. A logistic regression model assessed the association decreased visits to greenspace after the outbreak compared to 2019 and probable MD and GAD. Among the 322 survey participants, prevalence of probable MD and GAD were 19.3% and 14.9%, respectively. High rates of probable MD (23.3%) and GAD (19.4%) were found among persons currently having job-related and financial issues. Of the total participants, 64.9% reported decreased visits to greenspace after the COVID-19 outbreak. Persons with decreased visits to greenspace had 2.06 higher odds (95% CI: 0.91, 4.67, significant at p < 0.10) of probable MD at the time of the survey than persons whose visits to greenspace increased or did not change. Decreased visits to greenspace were not significantly associated with GAD (OR = 1.45, 95% CI: 0.63, 3.34). Findings suggest that barriers to greenspace use could deprive people of mental health benefits and affect mental health during pandemic; an alternative explanation is that those experiencing poor mental health may be less likely to visit greenspaces during pandemic. This implies the need of adequate interventions on greenspace uses under an outbreak especially focusing on how low-income populations may be more adversely affected by a pandemic and its policy responses.

Highlights

A growing body of literature suggests that greenspace can promote human health through psychological and physical health benefits [1]
We explored the associations between changed greenspace use and mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea and how such associations differed by individual-level characteristics and local amount of greenspace
Our results indicate that study participants may have visited greenspace for stress relief after the disease outbreak compared to the previous year in spite of overall decreases in visits to greenspace

Summary

Introduction

A growing body of literature suggests that greenspace can promote human health through psychological and physical health benefits [1]. A major health benefit of greenspace is mental health, with documented links to lower risk of major depression (MD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) [2]. Greenspace can be defined as natural vegetation such as grass, plants, or trees and built green structures such as parks. Potential pathways for mental health effects of greenspace are restorative effects from stress relief and mood enhancement [3], physical activities, neighborhood social cohesion (e.g., social contact) [4,5], and reduced exposure to environmental hazards such as air pollution and noise [5]. Physical activity may mediate the relationship between exposure to greenspace and mental health.

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion