COVID-19: A crisis or fortune? Examining the relationship between nature relatedness and mental wellbeing during the pandemic
With the progression of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), lockdowns were introduced, movements were restricted, and the people were confined to their homes. On the other side, the social distancing measures and the shutdown of movements showed a significant impact on the ecosystem resulting in an...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Heliyon |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844022006156 |
| _version_ | 1818140056215355392 |
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| author | Prasath Selvaraj Anbu Krishnamoorthy Shankavi Vivekanandhan Haritha Manoharan |
| author_facet | Prasath Selvaraj Anbu Krishnamoorthy Shankavi Vivekanandhan Haritha Manoharan |
| author_sort | Prasath Selvaraj |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | With the progression of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), lockdowns were introduced, movements were restricted, and the people were confined to their homes. On the other side, the social distancing measures and the shutdown of movements showed a significant impact on the ecosystem resulting in an explicit revamp of nature. These nature rejuvenation and home confinement measures were presumed to improve the human-nature connection and affect the wellbeing of the individuals. Guided by this aspect, the present study attempted to examine nature relatedness and mental wellbeing of the Indian population during the COVID-19 pandemic. We further tried to investigate the relationship between the two considering age and gender as moderators. In addition, the association between nature relatedness and various socio-demographic factors were also inquired. A three-week online survey was conducted among the general Indian population with the age group ranging from 18 to 65 years. Results exhibited a higher nature relatedness and moderate mental wellbeing among the individuals. The association between nature relatedness and mental wellbeing produced a significant positive relationship among the sample. Meanwhile, individuals with higher nature relatedness were found to be female, unemployed, research scholars, and possessing ‘very liberal’ political ideology. When assessed for potential moderators, neither gender nor age influenced the relationship between nature relatedness and mental wellbeing. Possible explanations of our findings were discussed that shall provide constructive directions for future research in the area of human-nature connection and public health. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T10:37:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4c0f2d5ed24944ccb9a9cd2f92f3f0ec |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2405-8440 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T10:37:55Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Heliyon |
| spelling | doaj.art-4c0f2d5ed24944ccb9a9cd2f92f3f0ec2022-12-22T01:10:40ZengElsevierHeliyon2405-84402022-04-0184e09327COVID-19: A crisis or fortune? Examining the relationship between nature relatedness and mental wellbeing during the pandemicPrasath Selvaraj0Anbu Krishnamoorthy1Shankavi Vivekanandhan2Haritha Manoharan3Department of Social Work, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India; Corresponding author.Department of Social Work, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, IndiaDepartment of Psychiatric Social Work, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, IndiaSchool of Research Methodology, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, IndiaWith the progression of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), lockdowns were introduced, movements were restricted, and the people were confined to their homes. On the other side, the social distancing measures and the shutdown of movements showed a significant impact on the ecosystem resulting in an explicit revamp of nature. These nature rejuvenation and home confinement measures were presumed to improve the human-nature connection and affect the wellbeing of the individuals. Guided by this aspect, the present study attempted to examine nature relatedness and mental wellbeing of the Indian population during the COVID-19 pandemic. We further tried to investigate the relationship between the two considering age and gender as moderators. In addition, the association between nature relatedness and various socio-demographic factors were also inquired. A three-week online survey was conducted among the general Indian population with the age group ranging from 18 to 65 years. Results exhibited a higher nature relatedness and moderate mental wellbeing among the individuals. The association between nature relatedness and mental wellbeing produced a significant positive relationship among the sample. Meanwhile, individuals with higher nature relatedness were found to be female, unemployed, research scholars, and possessing ‘very liberal’ political ideology. When assessed for potential moderators, neither gender nor age influenced the relationship between nature relatedness and mental wellbeing. Possible explanations of our findings were discussed that shall provide constructive directions for future research in the area of human-nature connection and public health.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844022006156COVID-19IndiaNature relatednessPandemicPolitical ideologyWellbeing |
| spellingShingle | Prasath Selvaraj Anbu Krishnamoorthy Shankavi Vivekanandhan Haritha Manoharan COVID-19: A crisis or fortune? Examining the relationship between nature relatedness and mental wellbeing during the pandemic Heliyon COVID-19 India Nature relatedness Pandemic Political ideology Wellbeing |
| title | COVID-19: A crisis or fortune? Examining the relationship between nature relatedness and mental wellbeing during the pandemic |
| title_full | COVID-19: A crisis or fortune? Examining the relationship between nature relatedness and mental wellbeing during the pandemic |
| title_fullStr | COVID-19: A crisis or fortune? Examining the relationship between nature relatedness and mental wellbeing during the pandemic |
| title_full_unstemmed | COVID-19: A crisis or fortune? Examining the relationship between nature relatedness and mental wellbeing during the pandemic |
| title_short | COVID-19: A crisis or fortune? Examining the relationship between nature relatedness and mental wellbeing during the pandemic |
| title_sort | covid 19 a crisis or fortune examining the relationship between nature relatedness and mental wellbeing during the pandemic |
| topic | COVID-19 India Nature relatedness Pandemic Political ideology Wellbeing |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844022006156 |
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