Associations between depression and nature-based recreation: A cross-sectional study of adults in the United States, Spain, and Brazil

Abstract

Cumulating evidence suggests that nature-based interventions may alleviate depression, but the association between engagement in nature-based activities and specific depressive symptoms remains unknown. We conducted a cross-sectional study to investigate how Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) symptom criteria relate to engagement in nature-based recreation (any nature-based activities, forest-based activities, gardening, nature-based adventure activities) among American (n = 606), Spanish (n = 438), and Brazilian (n = 448) adults (≥ 18 years old). People who reported engaging in any nature-based activities at least once per month reported experiencing all nine symptom criteria for MDD (e.g., anhedonia, feeling depressed or hopeless, sleep problems, trouble concentrating, and suicidal ideation) at lower rates than those who did not participate in nature-based recreation as frequently. Results were relatively consistent across countries and types of nature-based activities, suggesting that many forms of nature-based recreation are negatively correlated with the nine symptom criteria for MDD. The associations tended to be weaker overall among Spanish respondents. Nature-based recreation appeared to have a stronger inverse relationship with suicidal ideation than with other depressive symptoms. The cross-sectional design of this study limits the causal interpretation of the observed associations. If future experimental studies confirm our findings, practitioners across different countries can consider recommending participation in nature-based recreation to alleviate their clients’ MDD symptoms.