Does Residential Green and Blue Space Promote Recovery in Psychotic Disorders? A Cross-Sectional Study in the Province of Utrecht, The Netherlands

Susanne Boers, Karin Hagoort, Floortje Scheepers and Marco Helbich
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Susanne Boers: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands
Karin Hagoort: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands
Floortje Scheepers: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands
Marco Helbich: Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Princetonlaan 8a, 3584 CB Utrecht, The Netherlands

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 10, 1-8

Abstract: Mental health is reportedly influenced by the presence of green and blue space in residential areas, but scientific evidence of a relation to psychotic disorders is scant. We put two hypotheses to the test: first, compared to the general population, psychiatric patients live in neighborhoods with less green and blue space; second, the amount of green and blue space is negatively associated with the duration of hospital admission. The study population consisted of 623 patients with psychotic disorders who had been admitted to the psychiatric ward of an academic hospital in Utrecht, The Netherlands from 2008 to 2016. Recovery was measured by length of stay. Structured patient data was linked to socio-economic status and the amount of green and blue space in the residential area. Associations were assessed by means of regression models controlling for confounding factors. Compared to the general population, psychiatric patients had a significantly lower amount of green space in their neighborhood. This result was not confirmed for blue space. Furthermore, no significant associations were found between green and blue space and the duration of hospital stay. In conclusion, previous studies focusing on other mental disorders, like anxiety or depression, found positive mental health effects of green and blue space in the neighborhood. We were not able to confirm significant effects among our study population on duration of admission, however. Future research focusing on psychotic patients could investigate the influence of exposure to green and blue space on other influences and outcomes on mental health.

Keywords: schizophrenia; psychotic disorders; health data; environmental factors; green space; blue space (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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