Green connections: Children’s experiences with nature and perceived psychological well-being in Beijing, China

Children growing up in cities today are becoming increasingly disconnected from the natural world, which coincides with a rise in psychological problems among children. While researchers have explored the potential of exposure to nature to mitigate these issues, most studies have focused on adults and prioritized quantitative measures of exposure to nature. This study focused on the quality of children’s interactions with nature and associated perceived psychological restorativeness. It involved 81 children aged 8–12 years from four districts in central Beijing, China, and their parents. Semi-structured interviews were used to investigate children’s experiences with nature across three timeframes – during and after school, and on weekends. Their perceived psychological restorativeness was assessed using a revised version of the Perceived Restorative Component Scale for Children. The results show that the children were more frequently engaged in physical exercises than nature-based activities. Structured experiences with nature predominated during school hours, while unstructured activities were more common after school and on weekends. Nine types of children’s interactions with nature were also identified, with visual experiences being the most frequently mentioned, compared to constructive, creative, fantasy, and conservatory experiences, with weekends offering children the most diverse experiences of nature. Their perceived psychological restorativeness increased progressively from school hours to after school and peaked on weekends. The study explored the impacts of context and quality of contacts with nature (emphasizing unstructured experiences), as well as quantitative factors such as time spent in and accessibility to nature and elements of the natural world. The results provide an in-depth understanding of the relationship between children’s experiences of nature and perceived psychological well-being within specific time-space contexts, suggesting strategies for multi-stakeholders to foster a more nature-integrated and supportive living environment for children.