THE POTENTIAL OF NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS IN MENTAL HEALTH PROMOTION AND PREVENTION

Natural environments have been investigated for over two decades as determinants of mental health and wellbeing. However, urbanization has changed living environments, with more and more people spending time indoors and living in built environments that have limited access to natural ones. To provide a coherent view of the research evidence of nature environments on mental health in Nordic countries we conducted an extensive literature search spanning the years 2004 to 2025. The research evidence was narratively analysed by three age groups: children and youth, working-age and older adults, and separately for therapeutic settings. We found that the field has implemented many different definitions of nature exposure as well as outcome measures. High-quality evidence regarding the effects of nature on mental wellbeing of children and the older adults was limited. Studies on adults have been conducted in experimental and observational settings and provide more consistent evidence that nature environments can contribute to prevention of mental health problems. Studies comparing nature-based rehabilitation with other therapeutic approaches, including those using virtual nature exposures, suggest that both have potential for mental health promotion. This accumulated knowledge could be more widely integrated into preventive healthcare and actively promoted by healthcare professionals. In conclusion, to prevent mental health problems, it is essential to ensure equitable access to highquality natural environments. This review also indicates that fully realizing the benefits of natural environments for mental health promotion and prevention requires tailored approaches depending on the target population.