The impacts of nature connectedness on children's well-being : Systematic literature review

Abstract

Direct and indirect well-being benefits of children and adolescent's nature connectedness are a growing societal interest. Accordingly, they are increasingly studied and the field of research is evolving rapidly. However, the conceptualization and operationalization of nature connectedness, well-being and their interaction, as well as the empirical methods that are used to analyze them, vary remarkably. We conducted a systematic literature review on how children's nature connectedness and its well-being impacts have been studied during the past two decades and what are the key findings regarding the connection. Our analysis covered qualitative and quantitative studies, which all showed the positive effects of nature connectedness on well-being. Qualitative studies gave a voice to children in defining nature and its well-being impacts, while quantitative studies measured the connection using various nature connectedness scales. We conclude with recommendations for developing the research field in the future to fulfil current research gaps and to guide societal development to support children's well-being.