Abstract
In recent years, the interest in the relationship between exposure to green spaces and children’s and adolescents’ mental health has risen. This systematic review aims to provide an overview of observational studies assessing the association between empirical green space exposure with standardized outcome measures of mental health problems, mental well-being and developmental problems in children, adolescents and young adults. The PRISMA statement guidelines for reporting systematic reviews were followed. A PubMed and Scopus search resulted in the inclusion of 21 studies. The evidence consistently suggests a beneficial association between green space exposure and children’s emotional and behavioral difficulties, particularly with hyperactivity and inattention problems. Limited evidence suggests a beneficial association with mental well-being in children and depressive symptoms in adolescents and young adults. These beneficial associations are resistant to adjustment for demographic and socio-economic confounders, which thus may represent independent links. Mediating factors and the variability of this association between different age groups are discussed. From a precautionary principle, evidence up to now demands the attention of policy makers, urban planners and mental healthcare workers in order to protect children’s and adolescents’ mental health in light of rapid global urbanization by providing sufficient exposure to green spaces.
Highlights
In recent years, academic interest in a possible relationship between exposure to green spaces and public health has risen, as can be derived from the number of studies published
This paper aims to provide such an attempt at answering the question if an association between green space exposure and children’s and adolescent’s mental health and neurocognitive development exists and which domains of these outcome concepts are possibly involved in particular
Following an exploratory phase to identify the essential aspects in this domain of research, the following keywords were selected: Keywords related to green space (“green space”, greenspace, greenness) combined with keywords related to mental health and neurocognitive development (“mental health”, “well-being”, development *) and with keywords related to childhood and adolescence
Summary
Academic interest in a possible relationship between exposure to green spaces and public health has risen, as can be derived from the number of studies published. Urbanized regions can offer contact with green spaces as well, defined in this context as urban vegetated spaces such as parks, grasslands, cemeteries, sports and playing fields and near-road trees [7]. Following these evolutions, the importance of green spaces has attracted political interest over the past years. In the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals for instance, member states committed themselves to the following goal, “By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities” [8]
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