Publisher
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Place of Publication
Chattanooga (Tenn.)
Abstract
Previous research suggests that nature positively impacts student health outcomes by lowering stress and anxiety levels and improving cognitive functioning by lowering physiological markers such as blood pressure and heart rate. Students' mental health is crucial for the transition to college, as it plays into the success of college and academic adjustment. Stress regulation isn’t just a college necessity; it's also an everyday life tool, especially when transitioning into their profession. Additionally, social interaction might protect college students during the transition by fostering a shared sense of belonging and coherent social identity, which provides emotional stability and directly buffers against the heightened risks of anxiety and depression" (Berkman et al., 2000; Cohen, 2004; Dao et al., 2024). The need to belong matters not only in college but also in the workplace, in how employees interact with their colleagues. Our study examines whether social interaction/community involvement, time spent in nature, and time spent with others in nature uniquely predict differences in psychological distress (anxiety and depression) among incoming college students during their transition to university life. We recruited participants from three two-day orientation sessions before college (N = 126; 79.1% White/Caucasian-American, 52.7% female, 42% middle class, Mage = 18.4 yrs). The study consisted of a quasi-experimental design with participants completing nature-based activities and/or surveys at two points (orientation sessions before college and the second semester of college). At the first time point, participants were assigned to one of three nature-based intervention groups: Group 1 (n = 22) completed an online survey; Group 2 completed an online survey and a nature education session (n = 31); and Group 3 completed the online survey, the nature education session, and a nature engagement activity (n = 72). The survey for all groups included questions about time spent engaging in nature, physical activity, sleep, mental health, academic performance, demographics, and other aspects of academic/college adjustment. At the second point, participants completed an online survey. Preliminary results indicate that more time spent in nature in the last month was associated with significantly lower psychological distress (b = -.23, SE = .07, p < .001). However, total social engagement (the number of clubs/activities engaged in) and spending time in nature with others were not significantly associated with psychological distress. From an industrial-organizational (I-O) perspective, organizations could translate these nature-based interventions into onboarding and workplace wellness programs to prevent early-career stress and mitigate burnout.
Date
November 2026
Subject
Industrial and organizational psychology
Document Type
posters
Language
English
Rights
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Included in
FRESHMAN OUTDOOR NATURE STUDY EXTENDED: SOCIAL CONNECTION AND THE ENHANCING ROLE OF NATURE ON MENTAL HEALTH
Previous research suggests that nature positively impacts student health outcomes by lowering stress and anxiety levels and improving cognitive functioning by lowering physiological markers such as blood pressure and heart rate. Students' mental health is crucial for the transition to college, as it plays into the success of college and academic adjustment. Stress regulation isn’t just a college necessity; it's also an everyday life tool, especially when transitioning into their profession. Additionally, social interaction might protect college students during the transition by fostering a shared sense of belonging and coherent social identity, which provides emotional stability and directly buffers against the heightened risks of anxiety and depression" (Berkman et al., 2000; Cohen, 2004; Dao et al., 2024). The need to belong matters not only in college but also in the workplace, in how employees interact with their colleagues. Our study examines whether social interaction/community involvement, time spent in nature, and time spent with others in nature uniquely predict differences in psychological distress (anxiety and depression) among incoming college students during their transition to university life. We recruited participants from three two-day orientation sessions before college (N = 126; 79.1% White/Caucasian-American, 52.7% female, 42% middle class, Mage = 18.4 yrs). The study consisted of a quasi-experimental design with participants completing nature-based activities and/or surveys at two points (orientation sessions before college and the second semester of college). At the first time point, participants were assigned to one of three nature-based intervention groups: Group 1 (n = 22) completed an online survey; Group 2 completed an online survey and a nature education session (n = 31); and Group 3 completed the online survey, the nature education session, and a nature engagement activity (n = 72). The survey for all groups included questions about time spent engaging in nature, physical activity, sleep, mental health, academic performance, demographics, and other aspects of academic/college adjustment. At the second point, participants completed an online survey. Preliminary results indicate that more time spent in nature in the last month was associated with significantly lower psychological distress (b = -.23, SE = .07, p < .001). However, total social engagement (the number of clubs/activities engaged in) and spending time in nature with others were not significantly associated with psychological distress. From an industrial-organizational (I-O) perspective, organizations could translate these nature-based interventions into onboarding and workplace wellness programs to prevent early-career stress and mitigate burnout.
Department
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Dept. of Psychology