Abstract:
Urbanized children today have fewer opportunities to interact with nature which may lead to a greater risk of mental health problems. The objective of this randomized controlled trial was to investigate which particular changes in connectedness to nature (CN) would improve psycho-logical well-being (PW) in young children. Six hundred and thirty-nine preschoolers (52.0% boys, age 34.9±9.5 months) participated in Play&Grow, an early environmental education intervention. Children’s CN and PW were evaluated by parents before and after the programme with validated measures; the CNI-PPC (4 factors) and the SDQ, Strength and Difficulties questionnaire (5 factors) respectively. The effectiveness of the intervention on the primary outcomes (CN, PW) as well as the relationship between them was analysed in a repeated measures path model with intervention status as a causal predictor. Specific CN factors consistently increased ProSocial behavior and reduced Hyperactivity and Emotional problems. In summary, The this study showed that the previously reported impact shifted from the total CN score to the specific CN factors. The Play&Grow intervention positively increased children’s CN and improved some aspects of physiological psychological well-being in children which is a preliminary evidence of developmental benefits of connecting young children with nature. Our results indicate promising direction of action for the improvement of families’ psychological health.