Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
Nomad Projects, London, United Kingdom.
PLoS One. 2022 Aug 31;17(8):e0271306. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0271306. eCollection 2022.
Existing evidence shows positive effects of being in nature on wellbeing, but we know little about the mental health benefits of spending time near canals and rivers specifically. This study investigates the association between visits to canals and rivers and mental wellbeing. We addressed the following questions: Are visits to canals and rivers associated with higher levels of mental wellbeing? Does this association depend on age and gender? Does this association vary between people with and without a diagnosis on mental illness? We used Urban Mind, a flexible smartphone application for examining the impact of different aspects of the built and social environment on mental wellbeing, a strong predictor of mental health. Participants were invited to complete an ecological momentary assessment three times a day for fourteen days. Each assessment included questions about their surrounding environment and mental wellbeing. A total of 7,975 assessments were completed by 299 participants including 87 with a diagnosis of mental illness. Multilevel regression models were used to analyse the data. We found positive associations between visits to canals and rivers and mental wellbeing (p < .05) when compared to being anywhere else and when compared to being in green spaces. Increases in mental wellbeing were still evident after the visit had taken place. These effects remained significant after adjusting for age, gender, ethnicity and education, and were consistent in people with and without a diagnosis of mental illness. Spending time near canals and rivers is associated with better mental wellbeing. These findings have potential implications for mental health as well as urban planning and policy. Visits to canals and rivers could become part of social prescribing schemes, playing a role in preventing mental health difficulties and complementing more traditional interventions.
现有证据表明，置身大自然对幸福感有积极影响，但我们对在运河和河流附近度过时光对心理健康的益处知之甚少。本研究调查了游览运河和河流与心理健康之间的关系。我们提出了以下问题：游览运河和河流是否与更高水平的心理健康有关？这种关联是否取决于年龄和性别？这种关联在患有和未患有精神疾病的人群中是否存在差异？我们使用了 Urban Mind，这是一种灵活的智能手机应用程序，用于研究建筑和社会环境的不同方面对心理健康的影响，心理健康是心理健康的强有力预测指标。参与者被邀请在 14 天内每天完成三次生态瞬间评估。每次评估都包括有关周围环境和心理健康的问题。共有 299 名参与者完成了 7975 次评估，其中包括 87 名患有精神疾病的参与者。多水平回归模型用于分析数据。我们发现，与在其他任何地方相比，与在绿色空间相比，游览运河和河流与心理健康之间存在正相关关系（p<0.05）。在访问发生后，心理健康仍有明显改善。在调整了年龄、性别、种族和教育等因素后，这些影响仍然显著，并且在患有和未患有精神疾病的人群中是一致的。在运河和河流附近度过时间与更好的心理健康有关。这些发现可能对心理健康以及城市规划和政策产生影响。游览运河和河流可能成为社会处方计划的一部分，在预防心理健康问题方面发挥作用，并补充更传统的干预措施。
