Impacts of more immediate and less immediate nature experiences on young adults’ mental health: The mediating role of nature connectedness in a compact city in China

Mounting evidence links reinvigorating nature experience with mental health benefits in urban populations. However, studies focusing on populations of compact cities dominated by high-density, high-rise living environments are scarce. This study investigated how more immediate and less immediate nature experiences relate to young adults’ mental health in a compact Chinese city, and examined the mediating role of nature connectedness. A sample of 985 young Chinese adults (ages 18–30) completed an anonymous online survey in April–June 2023. More immediate nature experience (e.g., frequency of nature-based recreational activities), less immediate nature experience (e.g., nature views through windows from home), and nature connectedness were self-reported, along with mental health indicators including anxiety, depression and stress symptoms, and happiness. Our findings showed that the frequency of more immediate, but not less immediate, nature experience was associated with greater happiness. Nature connectedness partially mediated the association between more immediate nature experience and happiness, while the interaction effects from greater nature connectedness and more immediate nature experience (independent of their direct effects) was associated with increased mental health symptoms. Still, we argue that policymakers and urban planners should prioritise creating meaningful opportunities for more immediate nature experiences in compact cities, instead of the predominantly visual means of current nature experience. Although young adults in highly urbanised environments may be less proactive in seeking nature, incorporating easily accessible and emotionally-relevant green spaces into daily routines of urban residents, whilst mitigating potential mental health symptoms from eco-anxiety through education or environmental communication remains a crucial strategy to promoting overall mental health.