Maternal mental health improvement in ghana: role of green spaces exposure.

Background: Green space exposure has been demonstrated to influence human physical and psychosocial health. We explored the relationship between self-reported green space exposure and maternal perceived stress, anxiety and depression.

Methods: We interviewed 420 mothers using a hospital-based cross-sectional study design. We assessed maternal stress, anxiety and depression levels. Maternal self-reported green space exposure characteristics were identified using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Multiple regression was used to identify the nature of relationships.

Results: Higher perceived stress, anxiety, and depression were observed in 58.1%, 42.5%, and 58.9% of respondents, respectively. Perceived stress was significantly associated with maternal utilization of green spaces for leisure activities and physical exercise (β = -0.118, 95% CI [-0.118, 0.025]). Mothers' belief that spending time in green spaces positively impacts one's overall well-being was significantly associated with maternal anxiety (β = 0.117, 95% CI [0.049, 0.491]) and depression (β = 0.164, 95% CI [0.205, 0.769]).

Conclusions: Our study findings suggest that green space exposure has the potential to attenuate stress, anxiety and depression among mothers. Policies relating to the establishment of green spaces and the maternal utilization of green spaces should be encouraged. Further studies should explore maternal health green space relationships using objective green space measurement.