How a childhood in the country can cut the risk of mental illness

GROWING up in the countryside or leafy suburbs can protect you from mental illness in later life, according to researchers.

People who were surrounded by nature up to the age of ten had more than a 50 per cent lower risk of developing psychiatric disorders compared to those surrounded by bricks and concrete.

The risks of schizophrenia, anorexia, depression and alcohol and drug addiction were all lower among those who spent their formative years among trees, shrubs and flowers.

Kristine Engemann, of Aarhus University, analysed the records of 943,027 people born in Denmark between 1985 and 2003. Using satellite images, researchers assessed the level of vegetation surrounding their addresses.

They then compared people who lived in the areas with the most vegetation up until the age of ten with those who lived near the least vegetation.

Writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, the researchers said: ‘The findings suggest that integrating natural environments into urban areas, especially near schools and other places where children congregate, may improve the mental health of urban residents.’ By the same token, they said, reducing access to green space and parks could lead to worse mental health among residents.

The link between mental illness and lack of green space held true even when factors such as the wealth and parent’s social status were considered. The authors add: ‘Our results show that green space during childhood is associated with better mental health.’

Suggestions for how green space helps to prevent mental disorders include that it offers ‘psychological restoration,’ encourages exercise, decreases noise and air pollution both of which can affect brain development and an improved immune system.