Development of nature-related habits and their relation to mental health outcomes during two years of the COVID-19 pandemic: a population-based study in Sweden

Spending time in natural environments has been linked to mental health benefits, and may have been an important resilience factor during the COVID-19 pandemic, but longitudinal studies are limited. This longitudinal study aimed to investigate the development of nature-related habits and their relationship to different mental health outcomes before and during early and later phases of COVID-19 (2019–2022). Furthermore, the buffering potential of nature-related habits on effects of major life events on mental health outcomes was investigated.

A subsample of the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH) was studied during 2018–2022, including follow-ups in early 2021 (n  = 1902) and 2022 (n = 1580). Visits to various types of nature, mental health outcomes (symptoms of depression, anxiety, loneliness, sleep difficulties), and major life events were analyzed across the study period while controlling for confounders.

Greater overall engagement in nature visits, particularly visiting forests or using one’s garden, was associated with lower levels of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and sleep problems in early 2021 and 2022.

Importantly, changes in nature visits were consistently negatively associated with investigated mental health outcomes across the study period. All nature visits, except for garden time, increased in the long term (2019–2022). Visiting forests also increased in the short term, while overall nature visits initially decreased (2019–2020).

Generally, nature visits increased longitudinally and were associated with better mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. This underscores the importance of green- and blue-space accessibility for facilitating outdoor recreation in natural environments, to support resilience and public health during pandemics.