Public open space, adverse live events and psychological distress in Melbourne, Australia

• Public open space is associated with lower psychological distress. • Public open space-psychological distress link depends on an adverse life event. • Public open space-psychological distress link is greater in more natural areas. This study replicates and builds on earlier work by Høj et al. (2021) conducted in Montreal, Canada, to examine the extent to which residing in close proximity to open public spaces can buffer psychological distress using survey data from Melbourne, Australia. We find that proximity to public open space is negatively associated with psychological distress with stronger effects evident among participants who have experienced an adverse life event or where proximate open space is ‘natural or semi-natural’, compared to maintained (for example sports fields, civic squares). Our results align with those of Høj et al. (2021) and provide support for the stress buffering potential of open spaces. While the findings are modest in terms of absolute effect sizes, they demonstrate that natural public open spaces may provide an effective refuge for people experiencing an adverse life event and highlight the importance of ensuring natural open spaces are a central consideration of residential developments.