Green Space May Benefit Mental Health in Early Childhood
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, April 17, 2024 -- Green space is associated with fewer internalizing symptoms in early childhood, according to a study published online April 10 in JAMA Network Open.
Nissa Towe-Goodman, Ph.D., from the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and colleagues evaluated the association between residential green space and early internalizing (e.g., anxiety and depression) and externalizing (e.g., aggression and rule-breaking) symptoms among 2,103 children (ages 2 to 11 years) in 41 U.S. states.
The researchers found that greater green space exposure was associated with fewer early childhood (ages 2 to 5 years) internalizing symptoms in fully adjusted models (b = −1.29). There were no associations seen between residential green space and internalizing or externalizing symptoms in middle childhood (ages 6 to 11 years).
"These findings suggest that green initiatives (e.g., parks, urban forest programs, and protected natural areas) have the potential to reduce risk for early anxiety and depressive symptoms in children across the U.S.," the authors write. "At a time of crisis in children’s mental health and dwindling natural environments, policies that protect and promote green space could have widespread benefits for children, society, and the environment."
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted April 2024
Read this next
Home Vision Tests Offer Limited Diagnostic Accuracy for Neovascular AMD
MONDAY, April 29, 2024 -- No home-monitoring vision test has the diagnostic accuracy of hospital eye service follow-up clinics to identify active neovascular age-related macular...
Mental, Social Disturbances Increased for Children With Prior Concussion
MONDAY, April 29, 2024 -- The rate of mental and social disturbances is higher for U.S. children with prior concussion or brain injury symptoms/diagnosis, according to a study...
Warning Letters Can Reduce Quetiapine Overprescribing
MONDAY, April 29, 2024 -- For patients with dementia, letters warning primary care physicians (PCPs) regarding overprescribing can reduce quetiapine prescriptions, according to a...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.