“Connection To Nature, Mindfulness , Stress as Predictors

of Psychological Wellbeing among Young Adults”

Introduction
• The covid epidemic has struck the whole planet, and individuals have been quarantined in their houses. As a
social entity, direct connection with other beings has been forbidden during these tyring times. The amount of
time we spend outside and in natural environment has decreased dramatically. Uncertainty about the future,
as well as a lack of personal touch, have had a substantial impact on our overall well-being.
• Infectious disease epidemics including SARS, equine influenza, the H1N1 influenza pandemic, MERS, and
Ebola have been the subject of studies that have shown that these outbreaks can cause a wide range of mental
health issues. The most often reported symptoms were delirium, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, psychotic
symptoms, and suicide thoughts. Similarly COVID-19 characteristics in Kerala mostly caused the formation
of anxiety, stress, depression, and stigma. its essential to move through this phase and develop methods which
can implement good psychological wellbeing after the pandemic.
• Center for Disease Control and Prevention report analyzing survey responses from 5,470 adults revealed 1 in
4 respondents ages 18 to 24 had considered suicide within this period and a similar number started or
increased substance use because of the pandemic. About 75% of respondents in that age group also said they
had one or more "adverse mental or behavioral health symptoms."
• Kerala reported the fifth highest rate of suicides in the country in 2019 (24.3 per cent), which was
significantly higher than the all-India rate (10.2 per cent). The worrying trend has only been gaining further
momentum, especially during Covid times, according to the data released by the National Crime Records
Bureau in 2019.
• From he study conducted by Psychological research centre ,GWC . Around 60% college students in the state
experience mental depression in varied degrees since the outbreak of Covid-19 and at least 55% youngsters
pursuing UG and PG courses in arts and science colleges are too worried about their future.
• Understanding wellbeing and its sources is an endeavor that is not new, but it is one that has always piqued
curiosity throughout history .In a way, improving people's quality of life is one of the major goals of all
medical, psychological, political, social, and economic interventions.
• The human-nature relationship is crucial for wellbeing. Interaction with nature has various health advantages,
with the biophilia hypothesis (Wilson,1984) acting as the core explanatory framework for examining the
relationship between nature and wellness. Wilson's biophilia theory states that humans have a "innate
inclination to focus on life and lifelike processes" as a result of evolution.
• The Attention Restoration Theory (ART; Kaplan, 1995) and Stress Reduction Theory (SRT; Ulrich et al.,
1991), which have been used to explain and delineate the human-nature relationship in terms of how
connection with nature promote human well-being.
• Thus three independent variables for the study is CN,mindfulness and stress
• Dependent variables : PWB,SWB,EWB
Definition of key terms
Connection to nature
• Mayer and Frantz (2004) described connectedness to nature as a “measure of an individuals' trait
levels of feeling emotionally connected to the natural world” and is explicitly conceptualized as
assessing the affective component of the human-nature connection (Mayer & Frantz, 2004).
Mindfulness
• Mindfulness is defined as one’s “self-regulation of awareness towards present mental states and
processes and a nonevaluation openness and acceptance towards moment-to-moment experiences”
(Bränström, Kvillemo, Brandberg, & Moskowitz, 2010)
Stress
• Stress can be defined as any type of change that causes physical, emotional, or psychological
strain. Stress is your body's response to anything that requires attention or action. (Scott, 2022)
Psychological wellbeing
• Psychological well-being is a core feature of mental health, and may be defined as including hedonic
(enjoyment, pleasure) and eudaimonic (meaning, fulfillment) happiness, as well as resilience (coping,
emotion regulation, healthy problem solving (Tang, Tang & Gross, 2019
Social wellbeing
• Social well-being can be defined as the sharing, developing, and sustaining of meaningful
relationships with others. This allows you to feel authentic and valued, and provides a sense of
connectedness and belonging (Sinclair,2021).
Emotional wellbeing
• The National Center for Emotional Wellness defines emotional wellness as "an awareness,
understanding and acceptance of our feelings, and our ability to manage effectively through
challenges and change."
Need and significance of the study
• The study contributes to the literature by offering an in-depth investigation of the relationship
between CN, mindfulness, and stress in predicting PWB.
• The study included measures that examined specific measures of wellbeing on developing overall
mental health by measuring PWB, SWB and EWB in relation to CN, which has not previously
been analysed extensively.
• The current study went beyond correlational analyses and tested predictive ability of CN,
Mindfulness and Stress On PWB, SWB and EWB. This can help to develop various methods one
can utilize to increase wellbeing by reducing and increasing the variables according to the results
found in the study.
• The findings may draw attention to further strategies for promoting mindfulness, such as building
a CN through greater interactions with nature
Objectives of the study

1. To assess the relationship among connection to nature, mindfulness, stress and psychological wellbeing in

young adults.

2. To assess the predictors of psychological wellbeing, Social wellbeing and Emotional wellbeing among

young adults.

3. To examine the influence of socio economic variables (area of living and gender) on connection to nature,

mindfulness, stress , psychological wellbeing, Social wellbeing and Emotional wellbeing

 Hypothesis
• There is significant relationship among connection to nature, mindfulness, stress ,Psychological wellbeing,

Social wellbeing and Emotional Wellbeing among young adults.

• Connection To Nature, Mindfulness and Stress are the predictors of PWB

• Connection To Nature, Mindfulness and Stress are the predictors of SWB

• Connection To Nature, Mindfulness and Stress are the predictors of EWB

• There is significance difference in male and female participants in connection to nature, mindfulness,

stress ,Psychological wellbeing, Social wellbeing and Emotional Wellbeing among young adults.
• There is significance influence of area of living in connection to nature, mindfulness, stress , psychological wellbeing, Social wellbeing and

Emotional Wellbeing among young adults..

• There is significance difference among four groups of participants categorized on the basis on of weekly hours spend in nature with

connection to nature among young adults.

• There is significance difference among four groups of participants categorized on the basis on of weekly hours spend in nature with

mindfulness among young adults.

• There significance difference among four groups of participants categorized on the basis on of weekly hours spend in nature with stress

among young adults.

• There is significance difference among four groups of participants categorized on the basis on of weekly hours spend in nature with PWB

• There is significance difference among four groups of participants categorized on the basis on of weekly hours spend in nature with SWB

• There is significance difference among four groups of participants categorized on the basis on of weekly hours spend in nature with EWB
Method
• Research design : correlational research design

• Participants : The participants of the present study are young adults in age range 18-25. The total number of

participants for the study are 271 young adults.

• Sampling method : simple random sampling

Break up of sample
category samples
Male 139
Female 132
Urban 127
Rural 144
Time spend less than 2 hours weekly in nature 83
2-4 hours 84
4-6 hours 58
< 6 hours 46
Inclusion Criteria

• Young adults with age range of 18 to 25

• College going students are selected for the study

• Both male and female young adults are included in the study

Exclusion criteria

• Excluded data from age group below 18 and above 25.

• Instruments used

1. Personal information schedule.

2. Mindfulness Scale (Ganesh & Jasseer,2022)

3. Connection to nature scale (Ganesh & Jasseer,2022)

4. Perceived stress scale (Cohen, Kamarck, & Mermelstein, 1983)

5. Mental Health Continuim Short Form (Corey L. M. Keyes,2009)

Statistical techniques
• Pearson's product moment correlation.
• Linear regression
• t-test
• Analysis of variance (ANOVA).
• Duncan Procedure.
Results and Discussion
Relationship between mindfulness, connection to nature, stress ,PWB ,SWB and
EWB among young adults
Correlations

mindfulne

ss CN stress PWB SWB EWB

Mindfuln Pearson 1 .260** -.197** .276** .214** .151*

ess Correlation

Sig. (2-tailed) <.001 .001 <.001 <.001 .013

CN Pearson .260** 1 -.290** .261** .272** .323**

Correlation

Sig. (2-tailed) <.001 <.001 <.001 <.001 <.001

stress Pearson -.197** -.290** 1 -.157* -.361** -.312**

Correlation

Sig. (2-tailed) .001 <.001 .089 <.001 <.001

**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

*. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).

Regression analysis of Variables connection to nature, mindfulness and stress on PWB.

Regression B value R Square F Change t Sig. F B

Weights Change Change constant
CN--PWB .132 4.063 <.001
Mindfulness-- .056 .112 11.72 2.21 .028 11.52
PWB
Stress--PWB -.030 -.883 .378
Regression formula
• PWB = 11.52 + 0.132*(CN) + 0.056*(Mindfulness)
Regression analysis of Variables connection to nature, mindfulness and stress on
SWB

Regression B value R Square F Change t Sig. F B

Weights Change Change constant
CN--SWB .067 2.62 .009
Mindfulness-- .039 .173 18.63 1.99 .047 15.40
SWB
Stress--SWB -.133 -4.99 <.001
Regression formula
• SWB = 15.40 + 0.67*(CN) + 0.039*(Mindfulness) – 0.133(Stress)
Regression analysis of Variables connection to nature, mindfulness and
stress on EWB

Regression B value R Square F Change t Sig. F B

Weights Change Change constant
CN--EWB .075 4.079 <.001
Mindfulness— .010 .158 16.726 .706 .481 6.65
EWB
Stress--EWB -.076 -3.933 <.001
Regression formula
• EWB = 6.65 + 0.075*(CN) – 0.076*(Stress)
Summary of t-test of mindfulness, connection to nature, stress ,PWB ,SWB and EWB based on area of
living.
Summary of t-test of mindfulness, connection to nature, stress ,PWB ,SWB and EWB based on gender
Summary of ANOVA among mindfulness, connection to nature, stress ,PWB ,SWB and EWB based
on weekly hours spend in nature
Multiple comparison of mean scores on the variable mindfulness on the basis of weekly hours spend in nature
1= (0-2 hours), 2= (2-4 hours), 3 = (4-6 hours), 4= (above 6 hours)
mindfulness

Duncana,b

Subset for alpha = 0.05

time N 1 2 3

1.00 83 51.9398

2.00 84 56.4286

4.00 46 60.2391

3.00 58 60.5172

Sig. 1.000 1.000 .853

Multiple comparison of mean scores on the variable connection to nature on the basis of weekly hours spend in
nature
1= (0-2 hours), 2= (2-4 hours), 3 = (4-6 hours), 4= (above 6 hours)

CN

Duncana,b

Subset for alpha = 0.05

time N 1 2 3

1.00 83 45.1807

2.00 84 48.6667

3.00 58 49.8966

4.00 46 52.6739

Sig. 1.000 .308 1.000

Multiple comparison of mean scores on the variable stress on the basis of weekly hours spend in nature.

1= (0-2 hours), 2= (2-4 hours), 3 = (4-6 hours), 4= (above 6 hours)

stress

Duncana,b

Subset for alpha = 0.05

time N 1 2 3

4.00 46 21.0652

3.00 58 21.6207 21.6207

2.00 84 23.4405

1.00 83 27.5663

Sig. .621 .106 1.000

Multiple comparison of mean scores on the variable PWB on the basis of weekly hours spend in nature.
1= (0-2 hours), 2= (2-4 hours), 3 = (4-6 hours), 4= (above 6 hours)

PWB

Duncana,b

Subset for alpha = 0.05

time N 1 2

1.00 83 18.2169

2.00 84 20.8333

4.00 46 20.9130

3.00 58 21.3966

Sig. 1.000 .410

Multiple comparison of mean scores on the variable SWB on the basis of weekly hours spend in nature
1= (0-2 hours), 2= (2-4 hours), 3 = (4-6 hours), 4= (above 6 hours)
SWB

Duncana,b

Subset for alpha = 0.05

time N 1 2

1.00 83 16.6747

4.00 46 17.7391

2.00 84 17.9524

3.00 58 18.7586

Sig. 1.000 .072

Multiple comparison of mean scores on the variable EWB on the basis of weekly hours spend in nature.
1= (0-2 hours), 2= (2-4 hours), 3 = (4-6 hours), 4= (above 6 hours)
EWB

Duncana,b

Subset for alpha = 0.05

time N 1 2 3

1.00 83 8.0843

2.00 84 9.0000

4.00 46 9.8261

3.00 58 9.9310

Sig. 1.000 1.000 .779

Major findings

 Connection to nature, Mindfulness, Stress, Psychological Wellbeing, Social Wellbeing and Emotional

wellbeing have positive relationship among each other. Where stress had negative relationship with all the

study variables.

 Connection To Nature and Mindfulness predicts PWB

 Connection To Nature, Mindfulness and Stress predicts SWB

 Connection To Nature and Stress Predicts EWB

 Based on gender there was no significant difference on the study variables

 Area of living showed significant difference in all study variables.

 Participants who spend more than two hours in nature showed significant improvement in connection to

nature, mindfulness, stress psychological wellbeing, social wellbeing and emotional Wellbeing
Implications of the study

• In terms of the human-nature interaction, the findings give more evidence that links to the natural
world improve various dimensions of well-being, including social and emotional well-being.
• Furthermore, mindfulness was a strong predictor of well-being dimensions. As a result,
programmes aiming to improve human health and well-being may benefit from incorporating
more natural components like water fountains or plants, as well as mindfulness techniques,
particularly since mindfulness has been shown to decrease certain impacts of stress.
• the findings show that connecting with nature may be another tool to encourage and deepen
mindfulness. This information is significant because, while meditation is an usual practice for
cultivating mindfulness, people may find it difficult to practise since it costs resources such as
time, which has been noted as a barrier to practice
• It is also important to highlight that spending time in outdoors may foster a connection to nature, but this
relationship is reciprocal. That is, persons who have a stronger connection to nature are more likely to like
spending more time in nature, which continues to retain their relationship to the natural environment.
• Both environmental exposure and meditation need resources such as time and availability, which can be
impediments to practise and experience. Regardless, both nature connection and mindfulness help replenish
coping resources such as attention since each mechanism to reduce stress and enhance psychological, social
and emotional wellbeing
Limitations and Future Directions

• As most individuals identified as being men and females, younger than 24 years old, and never married, the
sample lacked demographic variety. Additionally, the whole sample was drawn from a single university's
affiliated colleges
• Young adults could, for instance, be in better physical shape to partake in more nature-based activities like
hiking or other physically demanding outdoor recreational pursuits, which in turn fosters the participants'
relationship with nature. In contrast, older people may not be physically able to interact with nature in the
same way as younger individuals. The results of this study are therefore less generalizable with a more varied
demographic background, such as age, as a result of this constraint. More diverse populations need to be
sampled for future investigations.
• The study then looked at mindfulness while using a test that explicitly evaluated mindfulness as a trait.
Additionally, participants were not questioned about whether or how long they had been engaging in
mindfulness-based exercises like yoga or meditation
• This study examined CN as a quantitative variable, However, given CN itself is a complicated concept,
another technique to gain knowledge of participants’ experiences of CN is to utilise a qualitative approach.
Qualitative techniques provide academics an opportunity to learn about the amount of time and the sorts of
activities or natural surroundings persons engage in which led to their CN.
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