SCOTTISH researchers have found that people who do not have patios or gardens experienced greater mental health challenges during the Covid crisis than those who do have access to their own outdoor space.
The findings come from health experts at the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) and the University of Aberdeen, who surveyed more than 2960 adults from around Scotland in June and July last year.
Their study also revealed that people who were forced to share outdoor space and who live in deprived areas also experienced greater mental health challenges in the pandemic.
The findings of the “Covid-19 health and adherence research in Scotland” project have been published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
Gill Hubbard, professor of Health Services Research at the UHI, is the lead author of the paper. She said: “Our findings show that people who had their own personal outdoor space, such as a garden or patio, had better mental health during the pandemic than people who had no outside space or who had to share their outdoor space at home.
“The study also shows that people living in affluent areas had better mental health than those in deprived areas.”
The study also found that people who believed they were at greater risk from Covid-19 were more distressed than those who thought they were not at high risk.
This link between risk beliefs and psychological distress was found to be much worse among people who did not have their own garden or patio.
Psychology professor at Aberdeen University, Diane Dixon, who is leading the project, said: “The research team is currently investigating whether there is also a link between where people live, their risk beliefs and whether they will get the Covid-19 vaccine.
“We will present this evidence to government to support national efforts to keep people safe and also protect their mental health during this and potentially future pandemics.”
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