Pathways mediating neighborhood green spaces on emotions of populations with different mental health in Nanjing, China

Abstract

Previous studies on the relationship between green spaces exposure and emotions paid limited attention to populations with varying mental health conditions, especially the pathways of influence on high-risk mental health populations are less clear. The current study explored the differences of pathways among people with varying mental health conditions using cross-sectional data from 859 individuals residing in 9 neighborhoods in Nanjing, China. Evident illustrate that the neighborhood safety associated with green spaces is important across all populations. The relationship between green spaces and emotional benefits is more complex in populations with good mental health Environmental attractiveness in serial mediation model was a crucial factor influencing later mediators. This study validated emotional benefits are more sensitive to buffer size. In future urban planning, coordinated interventions for different mental health populations should be emphasized.