scholarly journals Visual Quality Assessment of Urban Scenes with the Contemplative Landscape Model: Evidence from a Compact City Downtown Core

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (21) ◽  
pp. 3517 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hou Yanru ◽  
Mahyar Masoudi ◽  
Agnieszka Chadala ◽  
Agnieszka Olszewska-Guizzo
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Visual Quality ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Landscape Patterns ◽  
Landscape Model ◽  
Rater Agreement ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Kappa Agreement ◽  
Health And Well Being

In the face of rapid urbanization and the growing burden of mental health disease, there is a need to design cities with consideration for human mental health and well-being. There is an emerging body of evidence on the importance of everyday environmental exposures regarding the mental health of city inhabitants. For example, contemplative landscapes, through a series of neuroscience experiments, were shown to trigger improved mood and restoration of attention. While the Contemplative Landscape Model (CLM) for scoring landscape views was applied to single images, its suitability was never tested for walking paths and areas with a diversity of viewpoints. This study aims to fill this gap using the high-density downtown of Singapore, also known as a “City in a Garden” for its advanced urban greening strategies, as a case study. In this study, 68 360° photos were taken along four popular walking paths every 20 m. A photo set of 204 items was created by extracting three view angles from each photo. Each of them was independently scored by three experts and average CLM scores for each view and path were obtained. The results were then fed into an open-source Quantum Geographic Information System (QGIS) for visualization. Cohen’s kappa agreement between experts’ scores was computed. The outcomes were mapped to facilitate the identification of the most contemplative viewpoints and paths. Moreover, specific contemplative landscape patterns have been distinguished and assessed allowing the recommendation of design strategies to improve the quality of viewpoints and paths. The inter-rater agreement reached substantial to perfect values. CLM is a reliable and suitable tool that enables the fine-grained assessment and improvement of the visual quality of the urban living environments with consideration of the mental health and well-being of urbanites. It can be used at a larger scale owing to 360° photos taken from the pedestrian’s point of view. Utilizing spatially explicit maps in QGIS platforms enables a wider range of visualizations and allows for spatial patterns to be revealed that otherwise would have remained hidden. Our findings demonstrate the usefulness of our semi-automated method. Furthermore, given the high inter-rater agreement observed, we suggest that there is potential in developing fully automated methods.

scholarly journals Window View and the Brain: Effects of Floor Level and Green Cover on the Alpha and Beta Rhythms in a Passive Exposure EEG Experiment

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. 2358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Olszewska-Guizzo ◽  
Nicolas Escoffier ◽  
Jane Chan ◽  
Tan Puay Yok
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Floor Level ◽  
High Rise ◽  
Planning And Design ◽  
Green Cover ◽  
Important Interaction ◽  
Health And Well Being

With the growing interest among researchers, practitioners, and urban decision makers in the influence of the built environment on peoples’ health, there is increasing emphasis on using scientific knowledge to inform urban design, including methods of neuroscience. As window views are the most immediate medium of visual connection with one’s neighbourhood, we surmised that the quality of this view would have an impact on the mental health and well-being of urban dwellers. Accordingly, we investigated how window views taken from different floors of a high-rise block with varying extents of green cover affected 29 healthy residents in an exploratory electroencephalography (EEG) experiment. The results showed that the amount of green cover within the view captured at different floor levels can cause an important interaction effect on the frontal alpha and temporal beta brain oscillations while participants view photographs. These results suggest that the brainwave patterns commonly associated with positive emotional states, motivation, and visual attention mechanisms may be increased by the extent of green cover within the view. This phenomenon seems more pronounced on the higher than lower floors. The observed findings at this stage cannot confirm major effects between floor level, green cover, and brainwaves, however, they emphasize the importance of considering the quality of window views in the planning and design of urban high-rise neighbourhoods. Having a green window view can potentially contribute to the mental health and well-being of urban dwellers.

Life Expectancy of Kibbutz Members

1986 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 195-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uri Leviatan ◽  
Jiska Cohen ◽  
Amanda Jaffe-Katz
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Jewish Population ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Death Rates ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Health And Well Being

Data are presented demonstrating that the life expectancy (LE) of kibbutz members—both men and women—is higher than that of the overall Jewish population in Israel. Closer inspection of the death rates at various ages reveals that, from age thirty, those of kibbutz women are lower than those of the Jewish population. Although those of kibbutz men are actually higher until age forty-nine, nevertheless the LE of kibbutz members (based on death rates) surpasses that of Jews in Israel. These data add to and support other research findings illustrating the more positive mental health and well-being found among kibbutz members than among other comparative populations. Similarly, the factors contributing to kibbutz members' life expectancy evolve from this quality of life, especially as this quality of life affects old age.

The Mental Health and Well-Being of Canadian Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Women Abused by Intimate Partners

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (12-13) ◽  
pp. 1574-1597
Author(s):  
Leslie M. Tutty ◽  
H. Lorraine Radtke ◽  
Wilfreda E. (Billie) Thurston ◽  
Kendra L. Nixon ◽  
E. Jane Ursel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Life Questionnaire ◽  
Ptsd Checklist ◽  
Health And Well Being

Intimate partner violence (IPV), mental health, disabilities, and child abuse history were examined for 292 Indigenous compared with 295 non-Indigenous Canadian women. IPV was assessed by the Composite Abuse Scale and mental health by the Symptom Checklist-10, Center for Epidemiological Studies–Depression 10, the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist, and Quality of Life Questionnaire. Scores did not differ nor were they in the clinical ranges for the two groups. In a MANCOVA on the mental health/well-being scales, with IPV severity as a covariate, only disability was significantly associated with more severe mental health symptoms. Suggestions for service providers are presented.

scholarly journals Overview of “Systematic Reviews” of the Built Environment’s Effects on Mental Health

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Solange Núñez-González ◽  
J. Andrés Delgado-Ron ◽  
Christopher Gault ◽  
Adriana Lara-Vinueza ◽  
Denisse Calle-Celi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Quality Assessment ◽  
Systematic Reviews ◽  
Methodological Quality ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Health And Well Being

Good mental health is related to mental and psychological well-being, and there is growing interest in the potential role of the built environment on mental health, yet the evidence base underpinning the direct or indirect effects of the built environment is not fully clear. The aim of this overview is to assess the effect of the built environment on mental health-related outcomes. Methods. This study provides an overview of published systematic reviews (SRs) that assess the effect of the built environment on mental health. We reported the overview according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Databases searched until November 2019 included the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, EMBASE, MEDLINE (OVID 1946 to present), LILACS, and PsycINFO. Two authors independently selected reviews, extracted data, and assessed the methodological quality of included reviews using the Assessing Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews-2 (AMSTAR-2). Results. In total, 357 records were identified from a structured search of five databases combined with the references of the included studies, and eleven SRs were included in the narrative synthesis. Outcomes included mental health and well-being, depression and stress, and psychological distress. According to AMSTAR-2 scores, the quality assessment of the included SRs was categorized as “high” in two SRs and as “critically low” in nine SRs. According to the conclusions of the SRs reported by the authors, only one SR reported a “beneficial” effect on mental health and well-being outcomes. Conclusion. There was insufficient evidence to make firm conclusions on the effects of built environment interventions on mental health outcomes (well-being, depression and stress, and psychological distress). The evidence collected reported high heterogeneity (outcomes and measures) and a moderate- to low-quality assessment among the included SRs.

Scared behind the wheel: what impact does driving anxiety have on the health and well-being of young older adults?

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 1027-1034 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan E. Hempel ◽  
Joanne E. Taylor ◽  
Martin J. Connolly ◽  
Fiona M. Alpass ◽  
Christine V. Stephens
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Driving Cessation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health And Well Being

ABSTRACTBackground:Driving anxiety can range from driving reluctance to driving phobia, and 20% of young older adults experience mild driving anxiety, whereas 6% report moderate to severe driving anxiety. However, we do not know what impact driving anxiety has on health and well-being, especially among older drivers. This is problematic because there is a growing proportion of older adult drivers and a potential for driving anxiety to result in premature driving cessation that can impact on health and mortality. The purpose of the current study was to examine the impact of driving anxiety on young older adults’ health and well-being.Method:Data were taken from a longitudinal study of health and aging that included 2,473 young older adults aged 55–70 years. The outcome measures were mental and physical health (SF-12) and quality of life (WHOQOL-8).Results:Hierarchical multiple regression analyses demonstrated that driving anxiety was associated with poorer mental health, physical health, and quality of life, over and above the effect of socio-demographic variables. Sex moderated the effect of driving anxiety on mental health and quality of life in that, as driving anxiety increased, men and women were more likely to have lower mental health and quality of life, but women were more likely to have higher scores compared to men.Conclusion:Further research is needed to investigate whether driving anxiety contributes to premature driving cessation. If so, self-regulation of driving and treating driving anxiety could be important in preventing or reducing the declines in health and quality of life associated with driving cessation for older adults affected by driving anxiety.

A positive psychology study and intervention on the well-being of French PhD students in biology

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Marais ◽  
Rebecca Shankland ◽  
Pascale Haag ◽  
Robin Fiault ◽  
Bridget Juniper
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Positive Psychology ◽  
Large Fraction ◽  
Reference Sample ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Attrition Rates ◽  
Human Costs ◽  
The Uk ◽  
And Control ◽  
Health And Well Being

In France, little data are available on mental health and well-being in academia, and nothing has been published about PhD students. From studies abroad, we know that doing a PhD is a difficult experience resulting in high attrition rates with significant financial and human costs. Here we focused on PhD students in biology at university Lyon 1. A first study aimed at measuring the mental health and well-being of PhD students using several generalist and PhD-specific tools. Our results on 136 participants showed that a large fraction of the PhD students experience abnormal levels of stress, depression and anxiety, and their mean well-being score is significantly lower than that of a British reference sample. French PhD student well-being is specifically affected by career uncertainty, perceived lack of progress in the PhD and perceived lack of competence, which points towards possible cultural differences of experiencing a PhD in France and the UK. In a second study, we carried out a positive psychology intervention. Comparing the scores of the test and control groups showed a clear effect of the intervention on reducing anxiety. We discuss our results and the possible future steps to improve French PhD students’ well-being.

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