Coping with Stress in Deprived Urban Neighborhoods: What Is the Role of Green Space According to Life Stage?

This study follows previous research showing how green space quantity and contact with nature (via access to gardens/allotments) helps mitigate stress in people living in deprived urban environments (Ward Thompson et al., 2016). However, little is known about these environments aid stress mitigation nor how stress levels vary in a population experiencing higher than average stress.

Green space and stress: evidence from cortisol measures in deprived urban communities.

Contact with green space in the environment has been associated with mental health benefits, but the mechanism underpinning this association is not clear. This study extends an earlier exploratory study showing that more green space in deprived urban neighbourhoods in Scotland is linked to lower levels of perceived stress and improved physiological stress as measured by diurnal patterns of cortisol secretion. Salivary cortisol concentrations were measured at 3, 6 and 9 h post awakening over two consecutive weekdays, together with measures of perceived stress.

Adolescents' daily activities and the restorative niches that support them.

This paper explores wellbeing from the perspective of the psychological dynamics underlying adolescents' relationship with place. It uses a dynamic model of wellbeing called personal project analysis (PPA) which captures the concept of 'flourishing', defined as functioning well in your activities, strivings and interactions with the world [1]. Using PPA methods we identified adolescents' daily activities and the 'restorative niches' that best support them.