Nature connectedness and self-emotional appraisal among adolescents: investigating the moderating role of time spent in nature

• Autores: Virudhachalam Radhakrishnan Akshyalakshmi, Vinothkumar Meignanamoorthy
• Localización: PsyEcology: Bilingual Journal of Environmental Psychology / Revista Bilingüe de Psicología Ambiental, ISSN-e 1989-9386, ISSN 2171-1976, Vol. 16, Nº. 3, 2025, págs. 319-341
• Idioma: inglés
• DOI: 10.1177/21711976251366577
• Títulos paralelos:
  • Conexión con la naturaleza y autoevaluación emocional entre adolescentes: investigando el papel moderador del tiempo pasado en la naturaleza
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo
• Resumen
  • español

    La dependencia creciente de la tecnología y la desconexión con la naturaleza influyen profundamente en el desarrollo emocional de los adolescentes, lo que repercute en su salud mental. Partiendo de esta base, planteamos la hipótesis de que pasar más tiempo en la naturaleza puede reforzar la asociación entre la conexión con la naturaleza y la valoración de las propias emociones. Se recopilaron datos de 238 estudiantes adolescentes de educación secundaria superior (11º y 12º cursos) de escuelas situadas en Vridhachalam, Tamil Nadu (India), y sus alrededores, mediante cuestionario. Se realizó un análisis de moderación para evaluar el efecto de la interacción del tiempo pasado en la naturaleza. Los resultados respaldaron empíricamente el modelo de moderación propuesto: los valores generales, con R = .40, R2 = .16, F(5, 232) = 8.65, p < .001, resultaron significativos y explicaban el 16% del cambio en la valoración de las propias emociones. Estos hallazgos sugieren que pasar tiempo en la naturaleza puede fortalecer la asociación entre la conexión con la naturaleza y la valoración de las emociones propias, lo que apunta al potencial valor de planificar intervenciones sostenibles basadas en la naturaleza en entornos académicos.

  • English

    Adolescents’ emotional development is profoundly influenced by increased technology dependence and nature disconnectedness, impacting their mental health. Hence, we hypothesized that spending more time in nature can strengthen the association between nature connectedness and the appraisal of one’s own emotions. Data were collected from 238 adolescent school students pursuing higher secondary education (eleventh and twelfth grades), by administering survey questionnaires in schools located in and around Vridhachalam, Tamil Nadu, India. Moderation analysis was utilized to assess the interaction effect of time spent in nature. The results provided empirical support for the proposed moderation model, where the overall model values showing R = .40, R2 = .16, F(5, 232) = 8.65, p < .001 was found significant, explaining 16% of the change in the appraisal of one’s own emotions. These findings suggest that spending time in nature can strengthen the association between nature connectedness and self-emotional appraisal, implying the potential value of incorporating nature-based sustainable interventions in academic settings.

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