Abstract
This study aimed to test the mediating effects of nature restorativeness, stress, and nature connectedness in the association between nature exposure and quality of life (QoL). Urban and rural Lithuanian inhabitants (n = 924; 73.6% were women), mean age of 40.0 ± 12.4 years (age range of 18–79) participated in the study. In total, 31% of the respondents lived in rural areas. Study participants completed an online survey form with measures on sociodemographic factors, nature proximity, nature exposure, nature connectedness, and nature restorativeness, stress, and QoL assessed by the abbreviated version of the World Health Organization’s Quality of Life Questionnaire’s (WHOQOL-BREF). Path analysis was conducted to test the mediating effects of nature restorativeness, stress, and nature connectedness in the model of nature exposure and QoL. Nature exposure was directly associated with a greater QoL (β = 0.14; B = 2.60; SE = 0.57; p < 0.001) and mediated the association between nature proximity and QoL. Nature restorativeness and lower stress levels were mediators between nature exposure and QoL. Nature connectedness was a mediator between nature exposure and QoL. A path model was invariant across genders and the urban and rural place of residence groups: patterns of loadings of the pathways were found to be similar. Nature restorativeness (β = 0.10–0.12; p < 0.01) had a positive effect on the psychological, physical, social, and environmental domains of QoL. Connectedness to nature positively predicted psychological (β = 0.079; p < 0.05) and environmental (β = 0.082; p < 0.05) domains of QoL. Enhancing nature exposure and nature connectedness might help strengthen QoL in urban and rural inhabitants.
Highlights
To the best of our knowledge, nature restorativeness and stress reduction has never been tested as the mediators between nature exposure and quality of life (QoL); one of the objectives of the present study is to fill that gap
The results indicated that the urban and rural groups did not present significant differences concerning nature connectedness, nature restorativeness, stress, and QoL, with the exception of physical domain of QoL
The results showed that participants from the urban group had significantly lower means of nature proximity and nature exposure when compared with the rural group (Table 1)
Summary
Modern urban life is considered stressful because it is related to overcrowding, traffic, excess information, noise, and lack of natural surroundings [1,2]. Stress can exert various actions on the body, ranging from alterations in homeostasis to life-threatening effects and death [3]. Stress is defined as the process by which an individual responds psychologically, physiologically, and often with behaviors, to a situation that challenges or threatens wellbeing [4]. Studies show that stress is negatively associated with quality of life (QoL) [5,6]. A greater amount of nature and natural environments is related to enhanced public health in urban areas of economically developed countries [7]. The term “natural environment” refers to the continuum of environments from wild nature to designed green spaces [8]. Studies report that nature exposure is associated with the nature proximity
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