What is the Impact of Blue Spaces on the Psychological Health of Adults in Europe? A Scoping Review of European Studies

Abstract

Abstract Background: With mental health remaining a rising threat to the European and global population, new solutions are required. Amid a variety of pharmacological and non pharmacological approaches to mental health treatment, an emerging body of research indicates the positive (healing and protective) properties of blue spaces on people’s mental health and well-being. Blue spaces research is still at the germinal stage of development, with the mechanisms of freshwater and saltwater bodies’ impact on people’s mental health and well being poorly understood yet. Research aim and purpose: Given the nascent state of this research area, a scoping review was undertaken to map the available evidence from Europe from the past decade – from 2014 to 2023. To achieve this, the researcher formulated the following research question: “What is the current state of research on the effects of blue spaces on the psychological health of adults in Europe?” along with the research aim: “To investigate the existing studies linking blue spaces and adult psychological health published in Europe over the past decade”. Research methodology: This scoping review targeted only primary research on blue spaces’ impact on adult mental health to present a comprehensive snapshot of the current state of evidence on this subject, determine the range of methodologies and approaches employed in studies examining the association between blue space exposure and availability on various dimensions of adult mental health and identify the emerging themes and challenges in this area of studies. The review covered 18 articles published from 2014 until the present, focusing on Europe. All the articles in this scoping review dealt with the adult population and were published in English. Findings: The findings of most studies indicated a significant positive link between the availability of blue spaces and psychological health and well-being. Most reviewed studies confirmed that European adults residing near the coast or inland blue spaces or visiting such sites intentionally have better self-reported mental health and well-being and are less exposed to mental illness risks compared to the populations with lower blue spaces availability. Implications and recommendations: The field of blue spaces research is only emerging, so the reviewed articles displayed certain methodological limitations and suggested further improvement areas to make future studies more reliable, relevant and valuable for mental health practice. The findings suggest several untapped research avenues and poorly understood aspects that should be covered more closely in future studies. The discussed themes and aspects of blue spaces research will likely inform more precise modelling of the studied relationship and the understanding of practical mechanisms through which blue spaces affect mental health and illness. Lastly, blue spaces research can benefit from longitudinal research in real-life settings, particularly tracking specific participants’ mental health dimensions over a longer period without reliance on population-based survey data.