Peer-reviewed article
Understanding changes to children's connection to nature during the COVID‐19 pandemic and implications for child well‐being
Samantha Friedman, Susan Imrie, Elian Fink, Mina Gedikoglu, Claire H. Hughes ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5This study looked at whether young children's connection to nature changed during the COVID-19 lockdown in the UK. It used a sample of 376 families with young children. Nearly two thirds of parents reported a change in their child's connection to nature, most often an increase. Among children whose connection to nature decreased, a third showed more well-being problems. Increases in connection to nature were more evident among children from affluent families than among less affluent ones.
Key points
- Nearly two thirds of parents reported a change, most typically an increase, in their child's connection to nature.
- Parents explained increases by having more time, more enjoyment of nature and more awareness or interest in nature.
- A third of children whose connection to nature decreased showed increased well-being problems, either acting out or sadness/anxiety.
- Increases in connection to nature were more evident for children from affluent families than for less affluent peers.
- Efforts to increase connection to nature should focus on the barriers faced by children from less affluent families.
Limitations
The abstract describes a sample of 376 UK families and relies on parent reports, so it cannot show that connection to nature causes changes in well-being. Findings may not apply outside the UK or to older children.
Abstract
While psychological connection to nature is known to be associated with both pro-environmental behaviours and well-being, there is an urgent need to extend this research to consider impacts from the COVID-19 lockdown period. Examining whether children's connection to nature changed during this period, identifying the drivers of these changes and determining the links between connection to nature and child well-being can each serve to guide post-lockdown initiatives to promote children's connection to nature.Three findings emerged from this UK sample of 376 families with young children. First, nearly two thirds of parents reported a change (most typically, an increase) in their child's connection to nature. Explanations for this increase included having more time, increased enjoyment of nature and increased awareness or interest in nature. Second, a third of children whose connection to nature decreased during the pandemic displayed increased problems of well-being-manifest as either 'acting out' (externalising problems) or sadness/anxiety (internalising problems). Third, an increase in connection to nature during the pandemic was more evident for children from affluent families than for their less affluent peers.While connecting to nature may be an effective means of addressing child problems of well-being, the divergent findings for children from different family backgrounds indicate that efforts to enhance connection to nature should focus on the barriers experienced by children from less affluent families. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.