AI Insight
This three-wave longitudinal study of 1,191 Chinese university students found that nature relatedness (psychological connection to nature) was associated with increased nature-based physical activity, which in turn predicted better positive mental health outcomes. The study identified nature-based physical activity as a behavioral pathway linking nature connection to mental wellbeing, though the effect sizes were small. Psychological flexibility showed a minor moderating role in strengthening the relationship between nature relatedness and physical activity in nature.
Why it matters
The findings suggest that encouraging outdoor physical activities could be a practical intervention for promoting mental health among university students who feel connected to nature. This research provides evidence for nature-based approaches as accessible mental health promotion strategies on college campuses, particularly in contexts where students face increasing psychological challenges.
Understand the Science
BackgroundUniversity students face increasing challenges in maintaining positive mental health, and nature-based approaches have received growing attention as accessible strategies for wellbeing promotion. However, less is known about the behavioral pathway through which nature-related psychological orientations may translate into later positive mental health.ObjectiveThis three-wave longitudinal study examined whether nature-based physical activity mediated the prospective association between nature relatedness and positive mental health among Chinese university students. Psychological flexibility was further examined as an exploratory boundary condition of the association between nature relatedness and nature-based physical activity.MethodsA total of 1,191 Chinese university students provided complete and valid matched data across three waves. Nature relatedness, psychological flexibility, and baseline positive mental health were measured at T1; nature-based physical activity was measured at T2; and positive mental health was measured at T3. Ordinary least squares regression and PROCESS Models 4 and 7 with 5,000 bootstrap samples were used, with sex, age, grade, growth environment, green-space accessibility, and baseline positive mental health controlled.ResultsT1 nature relatedness was prospectively associated with greater T2 nature-based physical activity (B = 0.039, p < 0.001), and T2 nature-based physical activity was positively associated with T3 positive mental health after controlling for T1 positive mental health (B = 0.395, p < 0.001). The indirect effect was statistically significant but small (B = 0.015, 95% CI [0.006, 0.026]). Psychological flexibility showed a small first-stage moderating effect (B = 0.005, p = 0.002; ΔR2 = 0.008), and the index of moderated mediation was also small (index = 0.002, 95% CI [0.001, 0.004]).ConclusionNature-based physical activity may represent a modest behavioral pathway linking human-nature connection with later positive mental health. The small interaction effect, limited explained variance in the mediator equation, and observational design indicate that psychological flexibility should be interpreted as an exploratory boundary condition rather than a central causal mechanism.