The effect of urban green space on uncertainty stress and life stress: A nationwide study of university students in China.

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate the impacts of urban green space on stress among Chinese university students. Participants were 11,954 students from 50 universities in 42 cities. Each student completed the Global Health Professional Student Survey (GHPSS) on Tobacco Control in China. Regional variables were retrieved from the National Bureau of Statistics database. Both unadjusted and adjusted methods were used in the logistic regression analysis. Almost one third of the students (31.1%) suffered from high levels of uncertainty and life stress. The multilevel logistic regression model showed that while certain individual and environmental factors, such as higher family income, having parents with a professional occupation and urban home location, reduced uncertainty stress among students, so did the effects of green space. This was particularly important for reducing uncertainty stress but also had some effects on life stress. The findings support a wider body of literature on the positive effects of green space on stress and mental health. Future studies need to pay greater attention not only to intra-urban differences in student use of green space, but also to how the natural environment features in stress management policies in Chinese universities.