Stress in university students can be palpable and affects them from all angles: academic challenges, social pressures and financial loads, all combined with their first independence experience.
This is part of the reason why anxiety and depression are common among the 19 million students currently enrolled in American universities, and for which cases of suicide and suicidal ideation are increasing.
In it National University Health Evaluation Report of 202430% of the 30,000 students surveyed said that anxiety negatively affected their academic performance, and 20% ran the risk of presenting symptoms that suggest severe psychological discomfort, such as feelings of sadness, nervousness and despair. It is not surprising that the demand for mental health services has been increasing for approximately a decade.
Many schools have rightly responded to this demand offering more guidance to students. This is important, of course, but there is another approach that could help relieve the need for guidance: create a university environment that promotes health. In a nutshell, add more green spaces.
We are academics who study the impact of the natural environment on students, especially in the place where much of their time spends: the university campus. Decades of research show that access to green spaces can reduce stress and foster a greater sense of belonging, especially crucial benefits for students who face higher education pressures.
In the search for green campuses
In 2020, our research team at Texas A&M University launched the Green Campus initiative to promote a healthier university environment. Our goal was to find ways to design, plan and manage this environment through the development of evidence -based strategies.
Our survey of more than 400 Texas A&M students showed that abundant vegetation, natural views and quality walking paths can help with mental health problems. More than 80% of the students surveyed claimed to have their favorite outdoor spaces on the campus.
One of them is the Aggie Park, a green space of eight hectares with paths to exercise, walk and ride a bike, and rocking chairs next to a lake. Many students commented that these green spaces are a breathing of daily routine, a positive distraction of negative thoughts and a place to exercise.
Our survey confirms other research that shows that students who spend time outdoors, especially in places with mature trees, open fields, parks, gardens and water, report better mood and less stress.
More students are physically active when they are in a campus with good pedestrian accessibility and abundant sidewalks, trails and roads. Physical activity itself is related to numerous benefits for mental health, such as the reduction of anxiety and depression.
Outdoor seats, whether they are rocking or park banks, also offer numerous benefits. Spending more time talking to others is one of them, but what might surprise is that a better reading performance is another. More trees and plants mean more shade areas, especially during hot summers, and that also encourages students to spend more time outdoors and stand active.
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Less anxiety, better academic performance
In summary, the surrounding environment is important, but not only for university students or those who live or work on a campus. In different groups and environments, research shows that being close to green spaces reduces stress, anxiety and depression. Even a garden or a wooded street helps.
In Philadelphia, researchers transformed 110 vacant lots into green spaces. This improved the mental health of the residents of the area. Those who used the green spaces reported lower levels of stress and anxiety, and the simple fact of contemplating nature from a window was also beneficial.
Our colleagues discovered similar findings when making a random essay with high school students who performed tests before and after breaks in classrooms with different views: without window, with a window that gave a building or parking, or with a view to green landscapes.
Students overlooking green areas recovered faster from mental fatigue and obtained significantly better performance in attention tasks. It is still not clear exactly why green spaces are good places to go when stress and anxiety are experienced; However, it is proven that spending time in nature is beneficial for mental well -being.
It is essential to keep in mind that improving the environment is not just about green spaces. Other factors influence. After analyzing data from 13 American universities, our research shows that the size of the school, location, region and religious affiliation influence and are significant predictors of mental health.
Specifically, we discovered that students of schools with less population, in smaller communities, in southern US or with religious affiliations, in general, had better mental health than students from other institutions.
These students had less stress, anxiety and depression, and a lower risk of suicide compared to their classmates of larger universities (with more than 5,000 students), schools in urban areas, institutions of the west and west medium, or without religious affiliations.
No one can change their genes or their demography, but an environment can always be modified, and for the better. With a relatively economic investment, more green spaces in a school offers long -term benefits for student generations.
After all, a campus is more than simple buildings. Without a doubt, the learning that develops inside educates the mind. But what is abroad, as the investigations demonstrate, nourishes the soul.
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* Canadian Lee She is a professor of landscape architecture and urbanism, Texas A&M University; Li Deng
Doctoral candidate in landscape architecture and urbanism, Texas A&M University; Yizhen Ding
Doctoral candidate in landscape architecture and urbanism, Texas A&M University.
This article was originally published in The Conversation
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