Linking University Campus Green Space and Students’ Mental Health and Well-Being: A Systematic Literature Review

Akpinar, A. (2021). How perceived sensory dimensions of urban green spaces are associated with teenagers’ perceived restoration, stress, and mental health? Landscape and Urban Planning, 214(June), 104185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2021.104185
Baik, C., Larcombe, W., & Brooker, A. (2019). How universities can enhance student mental wellbeing: the student perspective. Higher Education Research and Development, 38(4), 674–687. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2019.1576596
Bang, K. S., Lee, I., Kim, S., Lim, C. S., Joh, H. K., Park, B. J., & Song, M. K. (2017). The effects of a campus Forest-Walking program on undergraduate and graduate students’ physical and psychological health. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14070728
Baur, J. (2022). Campus community gardens and student health: A case study of a campus garden and student well-being. Journal of American College Health, 70(2), 377–384. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2020.1751174
Bratman, G. N., Anderson, C. B., Berman, M. G., Cochran, B., Lindahl, T., Meyer-lindenberg, A., Mitchell, R., Ouyang, Z., Roe, J., Scarlett, L., Smith, J. R., Bosch, M. Van Den, Wheeler, B. W., White, M. P., Zheng, H., & Daily, G. C. (2019). Nature and mental health?: An ecosystem service perspective. July.
Chen, H., & Ye, J. H. (2023). The Influence of Outdoor Activities and Campus Landscape on University Students’ Subjective Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Sustainability (Switzerland), 15(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/su15054157
Chen, T., & Lucock, M. (2022). The mental health of university students during the COVID-19 pandemic: An online survey in the UK. PLoS ONE, 17(1 January), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0262562
Chirikov, I., Soria, K. M., Horgos, B., & Jones-White, D. (2020). Undergraduate and Graduate Students’ Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic. UC Berkeley: Center for Studies in Higher Education, 1–10. http://conservancy.umn.edu/handle/11299/215271%0Ahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/80k5d5hw
Duan, Y., & Li, S. (2022). Effects of Plant Communities on Human Physiological Recovery and Emotional Reactions: A Comparative Onsite Survey and Photo Elicitation Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19020721
Ekkel, E. D., & de Vries, S. (2017). Nearby green space and human health: Evaluating accessibility metrics. Landscape and Urban Planning, 157, 214–220. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2016.06.008
Felsten, G. (2009). Where to take a study break on the college campus: An attention restoration theory perspective. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 29(1), 160–167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2008.11.006
Fisher, J. C., Irvine, K. N., Bicknell, J. E., Hayes, W. M., Fernandes, D., Mistry, J., & Davies, Z. G. (2021). Perceived biodiversity, sound, naturalness and safety enhance the restorative quality and wellbeing benefits of green and blue space in a neotropical city. Science of the Total Environment, 755, 143095. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143095
Fleming, W., Needham, M., & Biedenweg, K. (2022). Connections among Puget Sound Residents’ Psychological Restoration from Natural Environments, Place Attachment, and Beliefs about Environmental Governance. Environmental Management, 69(2), 258–270. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-021-01556-w
Foellmer, J., Kistemann, T., & Anthonj, C. (2021). Academic Greenspace and Well-Being — Can Campus Landscape be Therapeutic? Evidence from a German University. Wellbeing, Space and Society, 2(March 2020), 100003. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wss.2020.100003
Garrett, J. K., White, M. P., Elliott, L. R., Grellier, J., Bell, S., Bratman, G. N., Economou, T., Gascon, M., Lõhmus, M., Nieuwenhuijsen, M., Ojala, A., Roiko, A., van den Bosch, M., Ward Thompson, C., & Fleming, L. E. (2023). Applying an ecosystem services framework on nature and mental health to recreational blue space visits across 18 countries. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-28544-w
Gesler, W. M. (1992). Therapeutic landscapes: Medical issues in light of the new cultural geography. Social Science and Medicine, 34(7), 735–746. https://doi.org/10.1016/0277-9536(92)90360-3
Grahn, P., & Stigsdotter, U. K. (2010). The relation between perceived sensory dimensions of urban green space and stress restoration. Landscape and Urban Planning, 94(3–4), 264–275. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2009.10.012
Gulwadi, G. B., Mishchenko, E. D., Hallowell, G., Alves, S., & Kennedy, M. (2019). The restorative potential of a university campus: Objective greenness and student perceptions in Turkey and the United States. Landscape and Urban Planning, 187(April 2018), 36–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2019.03.003
Guo, L. N., Zhao, R. L., Ren, A. H., Niu, L. X., & Zhang, Y. L. (2020). Stress recovery of campus street trees as visual stimuli on graduate students in autumn. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17010148
Ha, J., & Kim, H. J. (2021). The restorative effects of campus landscape biodiversity: Assessing visual and auditory perceptions among university students. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, 64(February), 127259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2021.127259
Hartig, T., Evans, G. W., Jamner, L. D., Davis, D. S., & Gärling, T. (2003). Tracking restoration in natural and urban field settings. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 23(2), 109–123. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-4944(02)00109-3
Hipp, J. A., Gulwadi, G. B., Alves, S., & Sequeira, S. (2016). The Relationship Between Perceived Greenness and Perceived Restorativeness of University Campuses and Student-Reported Quality of Life. Environment and Behavior, 48(10), 1292–1308. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916515598200
Holt, E. W., Lombard, Q. K., Best, N., Smiley-Smith, S., & Quinn, J. E. (2019). Active and passive use of green space, health, and well-being amongst university students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16030424
Honold, J., Lakes, T., Beyer, R., & van der Meer, E. (2016). Restoration in Urban Spaces: Nature Views From Home, Greenways, and Public Parks. Environment and Behavior, 48(6), 796–825. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916514568556
Houlden, V., Weich, S., de Albuquerque, J. P., Jarvis, S., & Rees, K. (2018). The relationship between greenspace and the mental wellbeing of adults: A systematic review. In PLoS ONE (Vol. 13, Issue 9). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0203000
Houlden, V., Weich, S., & Jarvis, S. (2017). A cross-sectional analysis of green space prevalence and mental wellbeing in England. BMC Public Health, 17, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-017-4401-x
Hoyle, H., Jorgensen, A., & Hitchmough, J. D. (2019). What determines how we see nature? Perceptions of naturalness in designed urban green spaces. People and Nature, 1(2), 167–180. https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.19
Hung, S. H., & Chang, C. Y. (2022). How do humans value urban nature? Developing the perceived biophilic design scale (PBDs) for preference and emotion. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, 76(138), 127730. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2022.127730
Ibes, D. C., & Forestell, C. A. (2022). The role of campus greenspace and meditation on college students’ mood disturbance. Journal of American College Health, 70(1), 99–106. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2020.1726926
Jennings, V., & Bamkole, O. (2019). The relationship between social cohesion and urban green space: An avenue for health promotion. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16030452
Kaplan, Rachel & Kaplan, S. (1989). The Experience of nature: A psychological perspective. Cambridge University Press.
Kim, J. G., Jeon, J., & Shin, W. S. (2021). The influence of forest activities in a university campus forest on student’s psychological effects. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(5), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052457
Kogan, P., Gale, T., Arenas, J. P., & Arias, C. (2021). Development and application of practical criteria for the recognition of potential Health Restoration Soundscapes (HeReS) in urban greenspaces. Science of the Total Environment, 793, 148541. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148541
Lee, L. K., Zakaria, N. A., & Foo, K. Y. (2022). Psychological restorative potential of a pilot on-campus ecological wetland in Malaysia. Sustainability (Switzerland), 14(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010246
Liu, Q., Luo, S., Shen, Y., Zhu, Z., Yao, X., Li, Q., Tarin, M. W. K., Zheng, J., & Zhuo, Z. (2022). Relationships between students’ demographic characteristics, perceived naturalness and patterns of use associated with campus green space, and self-rated restoration and health. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, 68(June 2020), 127474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2022.127474
Liu, Q., Zhang, Y., Lin, Y., You, D., Zhang, W., Huang, Q., van den Bosch, C. C. K., & Lan, S. (2018). The relationship between self-rated naturalness of university green space and students’ restoration and health. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, 34(July), 259–268. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2018.07.008
Liu, S., Ji, Y., Li, J., Peng, Y., Li, Z., Lai, W., & Feng, T. (2022). Analysis of students’ positive emotions around the green space in the university campus during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. Frontiers in Public Health, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.888295
Liu, W., Sun, N., Guo, J., & Zheng, Z. (2022). Campus Green Spaces , Academic Achievement and Mental Health of College Students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
Liu, Y., Xiao, T., & Wu, W. (2022). Can multiple pathways link urban residential greenspace to subjective well-being among middle-aged and older Chinese adults? Landscape and Urban Planning, 223(March 2021), 104405. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2022.104405
Loder, A. K. F., Schwerdtfeger, A. R., & Van Poppel, M. N. M. (2020). Perceived greenness at home and at university are independently associated with mental health. BMC Public Health, 20(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-8412-7
Lu, M., & Fu, J. (2019). Attention restoration space on a university campus: Exploring restorative campus design based on environmental preferences of students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(14). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16142629
Malekinezhad, F., Courtney, P., bin Lamit, H., & Vigani, M. (2020). Investigating the Mental Health Impacts of University Campus Green Space Through Perceived Sensory Dimensions and the Mediation Effects of Perceived Restorativeness on Restoration Experience. Frontiers in Public Health, 8(December). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2020.578241
Marcus, C. C. (2007). Healing Gardens in Hospitals. Design and Health, I(I), 1–27.
Marselle, M. R., Irvine, K. N., Lorenzo-Arribas, A., & Warber, S. L. (2016). Does perceived restorativeness mediate the effects of perceived biodiversity and perceived naturalness on emotional well-being following group walks in nature? Journal of Environmental Psychology, 46, 217–232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2016.04.008
Ning, W., Yin, J., Chen, Q., & Sun, X. (2023). Effects of brief exposure to campus environment on students’ physiological and psychological health. Frontiers in Public Health, 11(5). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1051864
O’Brien, L., Burls, A., Townsend, M., & Ebden, M. (2011). Volunteering in nature as a way of enabling people to reintegrate into society. Perspectives in Public Health, 131(2), 71–81. https://doi.org/10.1177/1757913910384048
Olszewska-Guizzo, A., Sia, A., & Escoffier, N. (2023). Revised Contemplative Landscape Model (CLM): A Reliable and Valid Evaluation Tool for Mental Health-Promoting Urban Green Spaces. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 86(June), 128016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2023.128016
Payne, E. A., Loi, N. M., & Thorsteinsson, E. B. (2020). The Restorative Effect of the Natural Environment on University Students’ Psychological Health. Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/4210285
Pratiwi, P. I., Sulistyantara, B., Sisriany, S., & Lazuardi, S. N. (2022a). Physiological and Psychological Effects of Walking in Campus Landscape to Young Adults. Journal of Regional and City Planning, 33(3), 367–385. https://doi.org/10.5614/jpwk.2022.33.3.5
Pratiwi, P. I., Sulistyantara, B., Sisriany, S., & Lazuardi, S. N. (2022b). The Psychological Effects of Park Therapy Components on Campus Landscape Preferences. Journal of Contemporary Urban Affairs, 6(2), 143–155. https://doi.org/10.25034/ijcua.2022.v6n2-3
Pun, V. C., Manjourides, J., & Suh, H. H. (2018). Association of neighborhood greenness with self-perceived stress, depression and anxiety symptoms in older U.S adults. Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source, 17(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-018-0381-2
Sandifer, P. A., Sutton-Grier, A. E., & Ward, B. P. (2015). Exploring connections among nature, biodiversity, ecosystem services, and human health and well-being: Opportunities to enhance health and biodiversity conservation. Ecosystem Services, 12, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2014.12.007
Stepansky, K., Delbert, T., & Bucey, J. C. (2022). Active student engagement within a university’s therapeutic sensory garden green space: Pilot study of utilization and student perceived quality of life. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, 67(December 2021), 127452. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2021.127452
Sugiyama, T., Leslie, E., Giles-Corti, B., & Owen, N. (2008). Associations of neighbourhood greenness with physical and mental health: do walking, social coherence and local social interaction explain the relationships? Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 62(5), 6–11. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech.2007.064287
Sun, N., Liu, W., & Zheng, Z. (2023). Campus outdoor environment, learning engagement, and the mental health of college students during the COVID-19 pandemic: From the perspective of students in different grades. Frontiers in Public Health, 11(April), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1143635
Sun, S., Chen, Y., Mu, S., Jiang, B., Lin, Y., Gao, T., & Qiu, L. (2021). The psychological restorative effects of campus environments on college students in the context of the covid-19 pandemic: A case study at northwest a&f university, shaanxi, china. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(16). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168731
van den Bogerd, N., Coosje Dijkstra, S., Koole, S. L., Seidell, J. C., de Vries, R., & Maas, J. (2020). Nature in the indoor and outdoor study environment and secondary and tertiary education students’ well-being, academic outcomes, and possible mediating pathways: A systematic review with recommendations for science and practice. Health and Place, 66(March). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2020.102403
Van Den Bogerd, N., Coosje Dijkstra, S., Seidell, J. C., & Maas, J. (2018). Greenery in the university environment: Students’ preferences and perceived restoration likelihood. PLoS ONE, 13(2), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0192429
Velarde, M. D., Fry, G., & Tveit, M. (2007). Health effects of viewing landscapes - Landscape types in environmental psychology. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, 6(4), 199–212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2007.07.001
Wang, R., Zhao, J., Meitner, M. J., Hu, Y., & Xu, X. (2019). Characteristics of urban green spaces in relation to aesthetic preference and stress recovery. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, 41(101), 6–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2019.03.005
Wang, X., Hegde, S., Son, C., Keller, B., Smith, A., & Sasangohar, F. (2020). Investigating mental health of US college students during the COVID-19 pandemic: Cross-sectional survey study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(9). https://doi.org/10.2196/22817
Yan, L., Winterbottom, D., & Liu, J. (2023). Towards a “Positive Landscape”: An Integrated Theoretical Model of Landscape Preference Based on Cognitive Neuroscience. Sustainability (Switzerland), 15(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/su15076141
Zhang, P., He, Q., Chen, Z., Li, X., & Ma, J. (2023). An Empirical Study on the Promotion of Students’ Physiological and Psychological Recovery in Green Space on Campuses in the Post-Epidemic Era. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010151
Zhu, Z., Hassan, A., Wang, W., & Chen, Q. (2022). Relationship between PSD of Park Green Space and Attention Restoration in Dense Urban Areas. Brain Sciences, 12(6), 721. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12060721

In-Text Citation: (Si et al., 2024)
To Cite this Article: Si, B., Noor, A. I. B. M., & Wen, K. (2024). Linking University Campus Green Space and Students’ Mental Health and Well-Being: A Systematic Literature Review. International Journal of Academic Research in Environment & Geography, 10(1), 31–47.

Copyright: © 2024 The Author(s)
Published by Knowledge Words Publications (www.kwpublications.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode