scholarly journals Children’s environmental psychology, behaviour and education and wellbeing: The role of connection to nature

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Julie-Anne Whitburn
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Environmental Education ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Psychological Wellbeing ◽  
Connection To Nature ◽  
The Relationship

<p>A personal relationship with nature, which develops in childhood, is associated with wellbeing benefits and greater engagement in pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) in adulthood. This thesis investigates the relationships between children’s connection to nature and their psychological wellbeing and engagement in PEB. It also tests whether nature-based environmental education can promote children’s connection to nature and engagement in PEB.  The first study is a meta-analysis of the relationship between connection to nature and PEB. This meta-analysis demonstrated a significant positive, moderately-sized association between connection to nature and PEB. Standard tests indicated little effect of publication bias. Univariate categorical analyses showed that the scales used to measure connection to nature and PEB were significant moderators of the relationship and explained the majority of the between-study variance. The geographic location of a study, age of participants and the percentage of females in a study were not moderators.  I then conducted a longitudinal quasi-experiment (with control groups) with children aged 7-13 years from schools who attended environmental education programmes in Wellington City, New Zealand (N = 324). Data was collected via a self-administered questionnaire and a gifting experiment immediately before and four weeks after environmental education interventions. Structural equation modelling, followed by Information Theoretic model selection and inference was used to test theoretical models that explained how children’s connection to nature, and other variables of interest, were associated with their wellbeing (vitality and life satisfaction) or their engagement in PEB. Mixed-design ANOVAs tested whether environmental education influenced children’s connection to nature, PEB and wellbeing.  Structural equation models revealed that children’s connection to nature had a direct, positive association with their vitality, but not their life satisfaction. The children’s use of nature for psychological restoration had a direct, positive association with their vitality and their life satisfaction. The model explained 28% of the variance in vitality and 5% of the variance in life satisfaction. Models that contained socio-demographic variables were not well supported.  Connection to nature had a direct, positive relationship with PEB. Connection to nature mediated the relationship of environmental attitude and the use of nature for psychological restoration with engagement in PEB. Knowledge was not significantly related to PEB. This model explained 71% of the variance of children’s PEB. Models that contained socio-demographic variables were not well supported. Connection to nature had the strongest association with PEB of the variables tested.  Environmental education had no overall significant effect on children’s connection to nature, environmental attitudes, use of nature for psychological restoration, vitality or life satisfaction. However, the effect of environmental education on children’s connection to nature depended on their baseline level of connection to nature. Connection to nature increased after environmental education field-trips only in children with a relatively high baseline connection to nature. There was an increase in children’s PEB, species’ knowledge and financial support for conservation compared with children in the control group.  There are some limitations in this research. While the structural equation models imply directionality, they demonstrate correlational relationships between the variables. In addition, the survey data is collected by self-reports which can over-estimate associations between variables. A social desirability response bias, may also limit this research.  This research demonstrates the central importance of connection to nature for children’s psychological wellbeing and PEB. This thesis advances previous work by (i) providing a quantitative summary of the existing research to show there is a moderately-sized, positive association between individuals’ connection to nature and their engagement in PEB, (ii) advancing theory by demonstrating that children’s affective connection to nature is positively associated with greater psychological wellbeing and greater engagement in PEB and (iii) demonstrating empirically that while environmental education did not promote affective connection to nature in most children, it did increase their support for conservation and engagement in daily PEBs and their species’ knowledge. Promoting connection to nature has implications for motivating PEB and increasing wellbeing. Environmental education can influence knowledge and beliefs, but may not consistently promote affective connection to nature. Environmental education could incorporate experiences that stimulate children’s affective faculties to promote connection to nature.</p>

scholarly journals Children’s environmental psychology, behaviour and education and wellbeing: The role of connection to nature

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Julie-Anne Whitburn
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Environmental Education ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Psychological Wellbeing ◽  
Connection To Nature ◽  
The Relationship

<p>A personal relationship with nature, which develops in childhood, is associated with wellbeing benefits and greater engagement in pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) in adulthood. This thesis investigates the relationships between children’s connection to nature and their psychological wellbeing and engagement in PEB. It also tests whether nature-based environmental education can promote children’s connection to nature and engagement in PEB.  The first study is a meta-analysis of the relationship between connection to nature and PEB. This meta-analysis demonstrated a significant positive, moderately-sized association between connection to nature and PEB. Standard tests indicated little effect of publication bias. Univariate categorical analyses showed that the scales used to measure connection to nature and PEB were significant moderators of the relationship and explained the majority of the between-study variance. The geographic location of a study, age of participants and the percentage of females in a study were not moderators.  I then conducted a longitudinal quasi-experiment (with control groups) with children aged 7-13 years from schools who attended environmental education programmes in Wellington City, New Zealand (N = 324). Data was collected via a self-administered questionnaire and a gifting experiment immediately before and four weeks after environmental education interventions. Structural equation modelling, followed by Information Theoretic model selection and inference was used to test theoretical models that explained how children’s connection to nature, and other variables of interest, were associated with their wellbeing (vitality and life satisfaction) or their engagement in PEB. Mixed-design ANOVAs tested whether environmental education influenced children’s connection to nature, PEB and wellbeing.  Structural equation models revealed that children’s connection to nature had a direct, positive association with their vitality, but not their life satisfaction. The children’s use of nature for psychological restoration had a direct, positive association with their vitality and their life satisfaction. The model explained 28% of the variance in vitality and 5% of the variance in life satisfaction. Models that contained socio-demographic variables were not well supported.  Connection to nature had a direct, positive relationship with PEB. Connection to nature mediated the relationship of environmental attitude and the use of nature for psychological restoration with engagement in PEB. Knowledge was not significantly related to PEB. This model explained 71% of the variance of children’s PEB. Models that contained socio-demographic variables were not well supported. Connection to nature had the strongest association with PEB of the variables tested.  Environmental education had no overall significant effect on children’s connection to nature, environmental attitudes, use of nature for psychological restoration, vitality or life satisfaction. However, the effect of environmental education on children’s connection to nature depended on their baseline level of connection to nature. Connection to nature increased after environmental education field-trips only in children with a relatively high baseline connection to nature. There was an increase in children’s PEB, species’ knowledge and financial support for conservation compared with children in the control group.  There are some limitations in this research. While the structural equation models imply directionality, they demonstrate correlational relationships between the variables. In addition, the survey data is collected by self-reports which can over-estimate associations between variables. A social desirability response bias, may also limit this research.  This research demonstrates the central importance of connection to nature for children’s psychological wellbeing and PEB. This thesis advances previous work by (i) providing a quantitative summary of the existing research to show there is a moderately-sized, positive association between individuals’ connection to nature and their engagement in PEB, (ii) advancing theory by demonstrating that children’s affective connection to nature is positively associated with greater psychological wellbeing and greater engagement in PEB and (iii) demonstrating empirically that while environmental education did not promote affective connection to nature in most children, it did increase their support for conservation and engagement in daily PEBs and their species’ knowledge. Promoting connection to nature has implications for motivating PEB and increasing wellbeing. Environmental education can influence knowledge and beliefs, but may not consistently promote affective connection to nature. Environmental education could incorporate experiences that stimulate children’s affective faculties to promote connection to nature.</p>

scholarly journals Obesity and Mental Health: A Longitudinal, Cross-Cultural Examination in Germany and China

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen L. Lavallee ◽  
Xiao Chi Zhang ◽  
Silvia Schneider ◽  
Jüergen Margraf
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Male Students ◽  
Health State ◽  
One Year ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Chinese Male

The present study examines the relationship between obesity and mental health using longitudinal data. Participants with data at baseline and one-year follow-up were included from two countries: Germany (364) and China (9007). A series of structural equation models with three mediators and one moderator were conducted separately for female and male students in Germany and China. Zero-order correlations indicated that overweight/obesity was significantly related to later depression and anxiety in Chinese males. Additional effects of obesity on later mental health flowed through effects on attractiveness (Chinese and German females, and Chinese males), physical health (Chinese males), and life satisfaction (German females). Though overweight/obesity is related to mental health across many other studies, results in this study yield total effects between overweight/obesity and follow-up mental health only in Chinese males. The relationship between overweight/obesity and follow-up mental health was significantly mediated by follow-up attractiveness, or health state, or life satisfaction in German females, Chinese females, and Chinese male students, with no significant indirect effects found in German male students. This highlights the possible importance of culture in examining these effects.

scholarly journals Life Satisfaction and Mental Status of Research Scholars in Research Institute: A Comparative Study of TISS and IIPS

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dharma Raj ◽  
Dr. Nitin Kumar Verma
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
Psychological Wellbeing ◽  
International Institute ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Research Scholar ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Relationship

The present study was conducted with the objective of examining the nature of the relationship between life satisfaction and mental health of research scholar in research institutes. The population for our study was institute research scholar, from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) & International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS). Out of total 144 participants, 94 respondents were taken from IIPS and 50 respondents from TISS. The scale for measuring Multidimensional Students’ life satisfaction, developed by Huebner (2001) was used. Among the demographic variables, there were significant difference between the IIPS & TISS research scholar with regard to income and satisfaction with family. Psychological wellbeing of IIPS research scholar was significantly, positively correlated with age, research experience, family, friends, institute, living environment, self and psychological distress of TISS research scholar was significantly, positively correlated with income, friends, institute, and self. On the other hand psychological distress of IIPS research scholar was significantly, negatively correlated with family, friends, living environment, self, psychological wellbeing and psychological distress of TISS research scholar was significantly, negatively correlated with psychological wellbeing.

scholarly journals Intergenerational Ambivalence, Loneliness, and Well-Being Among Older Adults in the United States

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 551-551
Author(s):  
Xiaoyan Zhang ◽  
Merril Silverstein
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Group Analysis ◽  
Intergenerational Relationships ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Intergenerational Ambivalence ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Intergenerational relationships are important sources of informal social support for older people to maintain their emotional well-being. Previous research has extensively investigated the relationship between intergenerational support and older adult’s psychological well-being. However, the existing research has not adequately examined intergenerational ambivalence – mixed or contradictory feelings toward a family member in another generation or explored the mechanism that links intergenerational ambivalence and psychological well-being. Further, most studies are cross-sectional, which prevents us from establishing causality. This study utilized data from 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016 waves of Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a national representative sample of U.S. adults aged 50 and more (N= 8,017). Structural equation models were used to examine the longitudinal relationship between intergenerational ambivalence, loneliness, depression, and life satisfaction. The final model indicated very good fit (χ2 = 113.31, p &lt; .0001, CFI = 0.97, RMSEA = .05). The results revealed that ambivalence in older parent-adult child relationships predicted higher subsequent loneliness (β = 0.21, p &lt; .0001), which in turn predicted depressive symptoms (β = 0.25, p &lt;.0001) and life satisfaction (β = -0.30, p &lt; .0001). The results demonstrated that loneliness mediated the relationship between intergenerational ambivalence and depression, and life satisfaction. Multiple group analysis was performed to test whether the study relationships varied by gender. Gender differences were found. Findings have implications for prevention and intervention initiatives targeting improving relationships between parents and children, thereby protecting against mental problems.

scholarly journals Resting Heart Rate as a Predictor of Cancer Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1354
Author(s):  
Diana P. Pozuelo-Carrascosa ◽  
Iván Cavero-Redondo ◽  
I.M. Lee ◽  
Celia Álvarez-Bueno ◽  
Sara Reina-Gutierrez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Cancer Mortality ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Resting Heart Rate ◽  
Potential Marker ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Risk Of Cancer ◽  
The Relationship

This work was aimed to synthetize the evidence available about the relationship between resting heart rate (RHR) and the risk of cancer mortality. A computerized search in the Medline, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases from their inception to 24 September 2020 was performed. We performed three meta-analyses: (1) cancer mortality comparing the “less than 60 bpm” and “more than 60 bpm” categories; (2) cancer mortality comparing “less than 60 bpm”, “60 to 80 bpm”, and “more than 80 bpm” categories; and (3) analysis for 10–12 and 20 bpm increase in RHR and risk of cancer mortality. Twenty-two studies were included in the qualitative review, and twelve of them met the inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. Our results showed a positive association between RHR and the risk of cancer mortality. This association was shown in a meta-analysis comparing studies reporting mean RHR values below and above 60 bpm, when comparing three RHR categories using less than 60 bpm as the reference category and, finally, in dose response analyses estimating the effect of an increase of 10–12 bpm in RHR, both in men and in women. In conclusion, a low RHR is a potential marker of low risk of cancer mortality.

The Robustness of the Likelihood Ratio Chi-Square Test for Structural Equation Models: A Meta-Analysis

2001 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas A. Powell ◽  
William D. Schafer
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Type I Error ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Generalized Least Squares ◽  
Error Rates ◽  
Type I ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Distribution Free ◽  
Projection Techniques

The robustness literature for the structural equation model was synthesized following the method of Harwell which employs meta-analysis as developed by Hedges and Vevea. The study focused on the explanation of empirical Type I error rates for six principal classes of estimators: two that assume multivariate normality (maximum likelihood and generalized least squares), elliptical estimators, two distribution-free estimators (asymptotic and others), and latent projection. Generally, the chi-square tests for overall model fit were found to be sensitive to non-normality and the size of the model for all estimators (with the possible exception of the elliptical estimators with respect to model size and the latent projection techniques with respect to non-normality). The asymptotic distribution-free (ADF) and latent projection techniques were also found to be sensitive to sample sizes. Distribution-free methods other than ADF showed, in general, much less sensitivity to all factors considered.

Self-Efficacy Sources, Reading Self-Efficacy, Metacognitive Reading Strategies and Reading Comprehension Performance: A Correlational Study in Saudi EFL Context

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 19-35
Author(s):  
Muhammad Waleed Shehzad ◽  
Ishtiaq Hussain ◽  
Amer Akhtar ◽  
Saadia Fatima
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Reading Strategies ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Physiological State ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Efficacy Beliefs ◽  
Correlational Design ◽  
Metacognitive Reading Strategies ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract The intended aim of this research was to identify the connection of Self-Efficacy Sources (SES) and Metacognitive Reading Strategies (MCRS) with Reading Comprehension (RC) by deploying reading Self-Efficacy Beliefs (SEB) as a mediating construct. A correlational design was utilized. Proportionate stratified random sampling was deployed to select a sample of 383 Saudi EFL university learners. Questionnaires and a reading comprehension test were employed to gather the data. Structural equation modelling was used to test the relationships. Results indicated that SES were substantially associated with SEB except physiological state. Moreover, all the three MCRS showed significant and positive association with SEB. Also, SEB were substantially associated with RC. Regarding mediation, it was discovered that SEB mediated the relationship among SES and RC except one source, i.e., physiological state. Moreover, SEB mediated the association between all the three MCRS and RC. This study provides several implications for learners, teachers, and policymakers. Keywords: Metacognitive Reading Strategies, Self-efficacy Sources, Reading Self-efficacy Beliefs, Reading Comprehension, Saudi EFL Learners

scholarly journals Association Between Long Non-Coding RNA POLR2E rs3787016 Polymorphism and Cancer Susceptibility: A Meta-analysis of 8725 Cancer Cases and 10710 Controls

2020 ◽  
Vol In Press (In Press) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saeid Ghavami ◽  
Mohsen Taheri ◽  
Mohammad Hashemi
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Web Of Science ◽  
Cancer Susceptibility ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Cancer Development ◽  
Non Coding Rna ◽  
Stratified Analysis ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Long Non Coding Rna

Objectives: Several studies have reported a correlation between the POLR2E rs3787016 polymorphism and cancer development, but findings are inconsistent. Therefore, we designed the current study to understand how rs3787016 polymorphism impacts cancer susceptibility. Methods: We searched the Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed databases for studies related to the topic of interest published up to March 2019. A total of 11 relevant studies, encompassing 8,761 cancer cases and 10,534 controls, were retrieved and subject to quantitative analysis. The strength of the relationship was evaluated using the pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Overall, the findings proposed a positive association between rs189037 polymorphism and susceptibility to cancer in homozygous (OR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.11 - 1.57, P = 0.002, TT vs. CC), recessive (OR = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.06-1.39, P = 0.005, TT vs. CT + CC), and allele (OR = 1.12, 95% CI = 1.02-1.22, P = 0.021, T vs. C) genetic models. Stratified analysis showed that rs3787016 increased the risk of prostate and breast cancer. In addition, we found a significant association between the variant and increased cancer risk in Asian and Caucasian populations. Conclusions: In summary, the findings of the current meta-analysis suggest that the POLR2E rs3787016 polymorphism is an indicator of cancer susceptibility.

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