Psychology students explore nature, climate and mental health at 21st annual Honours Conference

One key theme among the research topics is the health and wellbeing benefits of nature-based experiences. 

Student Emily Clark’s research investigates how physical activity, adventure behaviour-seeking, and connection to nature (nature-relatedness) correlate with mental wellbeing.

Emily’s research looks beyond the question of ‘how much exercise is enough’ to how seeking out adventure and a connection to nature can play an extra role in supporting positive mental well-being. 

Using an online survey to capture the experiences of 583 Australian adults, Emily’s research looks at the relationships between activity levels, adventure, connection to nature, and mental wellbeing. Her results showed that while moderate and high levels of physical activity were positively correlated with mental well-being compared to low activity, there was no significant difference between moderate and high levels, suggesting a plateau effect. Engaging in adventurous activities added unique positive variance to mental well-being beyond physical activity, and adventure behaviour was associated with stronger feelings of connection to nature, and this connection partly explained the link between adventure and greater well-being. 

“I chose this topic to shift the conversation beyond structured interventions and standard physical activity guidelines. This research aims to inform more accessible, preventative public health approaches to support mental wellbeing,” Emily said. 

Psychology Honours student Georgia Coleman is investigating how climate change is reshaping people’s relationship with nature and what that means for mental wellbeing. 

Her research uses in-depth interviews to explore lived experiences, focusing on how climate anxiety influences the restorative effects of time spent outdoors.

Georgia’s findings suggest that while participants sometimes experienced fleeting negative thoughts about climate change when in nature, these moments did not override the deeper sense of restoration, freedom and connection the natural world provides. 

Coffs Harbour student Jane Hosking is examining the lived experiences of older adults with nature and how it supports mental wellbeing. 

Inspired by her love of the outdoors and her mother’s generation, Jane aims to understand how time in natural settings contributes to health and quality of life for older Australians.

Using semi-structured interviews with 15 participants, Jane applied a Hermeneutic Phenomenology approach, which treats participants as co-researchers to explore the depth of their experiences. Her thematic analysis uncovered five key themes: transcendence, a sense of belonging, humility, inner peace, and immersive embodiment, all of which highlight the meaningful ways older adults experience and benefit from time in nature.

Jane hopes her research will have a practical impact on health practices. 

Kamala Mansfield is exploring a different area of interest, focusing on positive psychology and how savouring-focused online interventions can help build resilience. 

Her research aims to find accessible, low-cost strategies that support mental wellbeing, particularly in the current global climate where pressures and mental health concerns are increasing.

As part of a larger study led by Associate Professor of Psychology Desirée Kozlowski, Kamala examined the effects of a live online psychoeducation workshop focused on the practice of savouring. Participants first completed two surveys to measure their resilience, pleasure and savouring skills, then took part in the workshop where they learned about the science of pleasure and practiced savouring to enhance their positive experiences. A follow-up survey four weeks later measured any changes in resilience, pleasure and savouring. 

Kamala said her research could have practical applications for mental health support. “I think this research has important implications for building accessible, low-cost and scalable interventions that can help improve people’s access to mental health support and tools to improve their resilience and wellbeing,” she said.

The program for the Psychology Honours Conference is available to view here and can be streamed online on 25-26 September, the link will be available to those who have registered to attend.