Perceived environmental factors and students’ mental wellbeing in outdoor public spaces of university campuses: A systematic scoping review

Abstract

Outdoor public spaces in university campuses can play a critical role in affecting students' mental performance and wellbeing. This systematic scoping review provides a synthesis of recent studies on the effects of perceived environmental factors on psychological restoration, students' mental health and satisfaction in university outdoor public spaces. Following the protocol of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), this review was conducted using six major databases, including PubMed, Web of science, Scopus, APA PsycArticles, Medline (via Ovid) and Journals (via Ovid). A total of 27 eligible articles were retrieved from 23,166 articles originally identified from the six databases (period: 2012–2024). Main findings achieved are as follows. 1) Positive effects of general greenspace on students' mental wellbeing and satisfaction have been widely identified, while effects of its landscape characteristics (type, configuration, composition, etc.) have not received enough attentions. 2) Perceived greenness reflected by the plant system has significant positive effects on students’ mental performance, while if the effects vary in the physical features of plant system needs further clarification. 3) It would be required to further identify the effects of public art and facility/furniture in campuses. 4) Other campus environmental factors including surrounding buildings, safety, maintenance, environmental pollution may need more investigations.