Effect of spending time in nature and animal contact in preventing depression
Marek Tillmanns and Thomas Kraus
Citation: Tillmanns, M., & Kraus, T. (2024). Effect of spending time in nature and animal contact in preventing depression. Journal of Ecopsychology, 4, 7, 1-19.
https://joe.nationalwellbeingservice.com/volumes/volume-4-2024/volume-4-article-7/
Processing dates: Submitted: 12th January 2024; Re-submitted: 4th April 2024; Accepted: 10th June 2024; Published: 17th September 2024
Abstract
Objectives: Research indicates positive influence of nature stays and animal contacts on mental health. The aim of this study was to multifactorially analyze depression development focusing on the effects of nature stays and animal contacts.
Methods: 707 participants from ≥ 13 countries completed an online survey including items of PHQ-9 and detailed assessment of habits regarding nature stays, animal contacts and free time. Analysis was performed using multiple linear regression, correlations and ANCOVA.
Results: 17% of participants without regular nature stays and 11% of participants without regular animal contacts were classified as depressive. Among respondents with nature stays or animal contacts on ≥5 days per week only 5% and 7% were depressive, respectively. Multiple regression models showed significantly lower depression scores when spending time in nature [β=(-0.108)] or with animals [β=(-0.097)] on a regular basis. Significant effects on stress levels and mental disease development were observed additionally.
Discussion: Unequal distribution regarding age, gender and country and cross-sectional
nature of data gathered by convenience-sampling limit generalizability of results.
Conclusions: This study found that participants having regular animal contacts, nature or garden stays or living in greener areas are significantly less depressive, less stressed and feel mentally healthier. Having both animal contacts and nature stays resulted in even better mental health scores. Nature type, animal species and other factors play important roles. Also, growing up with nature or animals led to better self-assessed mental health. These results underline the potential benefit of including nature and animals in clinical practice and prevention strategies.
Keywords: Depression, Nature, Animals, Prevention, Mental health, Stress
Biographies
Marek Tillmanns is a student at Medical University Varna – Prof. Dr. Paraskev Stoyanov, Marin Drinov str. 55, 9002 Varna, Bulgaria
Web: www.mu-varna.bg
Email: marektillmanns@gmx.de
https://orcid.org/0009-0008-9091-7475
Prof. Dr. med. Thomas Kraus is Head of Department at Frankenalb-Klinik Engelthal, Reschenbergstraße 20, 91238 Engelthal, Germany.
Web: https://www.bezirkskliniken-mfr.de/standorte-undkliniken/engelthal
E-mail: thomas.Kraus@bezirkskliniken-mfr.de
He is also Professor of Psychiatry at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5982-8951