Green pathways to mental health: Relationships between treescapes and well‐being and distress

Alcock, Ian ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1797-762X, Sheffield, David, White, Piran C. L., Coventry, Peter ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0625-3829, Hunt, Merryn L. and Richardson, Miles ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7223-7053 (2025) Green pathways to mental health: Relationships between treescapes and well‐being and distress. People and Nature. ISSN 2575-8314

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Abstract

We aimed to evaluate the mental health benefits and possible mechanisms of objective and subjective treescape exposures whilst also accounting for relationships with residential area greenspace in general. Independent variables were objective measures of residential neighbourhood tree cover density and woody linear features, and a subjective measure of perceived neighbourhood treescape richness. Outcome variables were four standard measures of positive mental health and two of psychological distress. Questionnaire survey data (N = 1376) were merged with neighbourhood treescape and greenspace data on residential postcode. A structural equation model tested a set of theorised pathways from neighbourhood nature exposures to mental health outcomes, with indirect effects via nature connectedness, satisfaction with the local natural environment and nature visit exposure. A sensitivity analysis assessed whether observed effects were a mediated function of childhood exposure to nature. Tree cover density and woody linear features were positively associated with perceived neighbourhood treescape richness. With the exception of a positive relationship between tree cover density and life satisfaction, the total effects of tree cover density and woody linear features were not significantly associated with positive mental health or psychological distress outcomes despite some significant specific indirect effects. In contrast, the total effects of perceived neighbourhood treescape richness were positively associated with positive mental health and negatively associated with psychological distress outcomes. The total effects of neighbourhood greenspace were not significantly associated with positive mental health or psychological distress outcomes despite some significant specific indirect effects. In all cases, nature visit exposure was positively associated with positive mental health and negatively associated with psychological distress outcomes. Neighbourhood nature satisfaction was positively associated with all the positive mental health outcomes and negatively associated with one of the two psychological distress outcomes. Nature connection was positively associated with all the positive mental health outcomes, but, contrary to expectations, was positively associated with both psychological distress outcomes. Policy implications. Residents' perceptions of treescapes generally matter more for their mental health than objective measures of treescapes, so policy should promote meaningful engagement with treescapes to achieve the greatest benefits. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.