Müller, Marie Antonia Elisabeth; (2023) Neighbourhood Greenspace and Mental Health and Well-Being: Associations in Children and Adolescents in the United Kingdom. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

The evidence to date suggests that there is an association between greenspace and health, but the specifics of this association remain unclear. In this thesis, I investigated the association between neighbourhood greenspace and mental health and well-being in children and adolescents living in the United Kingdom (UK). I completed four studies. In my first two studies, I used data from the UK Millennium Cohort Study (MCS). I investigated the associations of neighbourhood greenspace quantity at ward level with self-regulation in 3- to 7-year-old children (n = 13,774), and well-being in urban 11-year-old adolescents (n = 4,534). In the second study, I also tested for interactions with contextual factors. In my last two studies, I used data from Understanding Society, the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS). I investigated the associations of different types of green spaces (i.e., parks & gardens, natural & semi-natural urban greenspaces, and outdoor sports facilities) and access to ‘high-quality’ green spaces with mental health and well-being in children (5 and 8 years; n = 740) and adolescents (10 to 15 years; n = 1,879) living in London. In the fourth study, I also tested for interactions with perceived neighbourhood quality. I did not find a significant association between neighbourhood greenspace and self-regulation in children or well-being in young urban adolescents. I also did not find consistent associations of certain types of green spaces, or access to ‘high-quality’ green spaces, with mental health or well-being in children or adolescents living in London. Nevertheless, I found interesting interactions (e.g., related to access to private gardens) and patterns (e.g., related to age) that are worth further discussion and investigation. In summary, I did not find a robust association between neighbourhood greenspace and children’s and adolescents’ mental health and well-being. There are several possible explanations for this, one of which is that the association may be context-specific and therefore difficult to capture.

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