Nature and Nurture: Green Space As a Context for Parental Well-Being and Parenting Behavior

Background and Purpose:
Parenting is a self-regulatory process that requires sustained attention, emotional regulation, and adaptive responses under daily demands. While a growing body of research links green space to general mental health, its role in shaping parental well-being and caregiving behavior remains fragmented and understudied. This gap is critical for social work, as parenting quality is central to child development and family functioning. This study aimed to synthesize interdisciplinary evidence on how green space exposure relates to parental mental health and parenting behaviors, and to identify mechanisms through which environmental contexts may influence caregiving processes.

Methods:
A scoping review was conducted following established guidelines (e.g., PRISMA-ScR). Seven databases (PubMed, Web of Science, APA PsycINFO, Social Sciences Abstracts, Social Work Abstracts, Environment Complete, and Embase) were systematically searched for peer-reviewed studies published between 1991 and 2025. Studies were included if they examined green space exposure (e.g., parks, natural environments) in relation to parental mental health or parenting outcomes. Twenty studies met inclusion criteria, encompassing quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods designs across diverse populations. Data were extracted using a standardized protocol and synthesized using a narrative, pathway-oriented approach to identify patterns in exposure definitions, outcomes, and mechanisms.

Results:
Most studies (n=18) examined parental mental health outcomes, with the majority reporting beneficial associations between green space and reduced stress, depression, anxiety, or loneliness, as well as improved emotional restoration and social connectedness. A smaller subset (n=10) examined parenting behaviors, with evidence suggesting that natural environments support greater parental warmth, responsiveness, and positive parent–child interaction, although findings were more heterogeneous. A key pattern was the distinction between passive exposure (e.g., residential greenness, proximity) and active engagement (e.g., park use, outdoor activities), with engagement more consistently associated with positive outcomes. Across studies, three pathways emerged: (1) psychological restoration supporting stress reduction and attentional recovery, (2) environmental affordances shaping caregiving behaviors through opportunities for shared activity and supervision, and (3) social processes facilitating connection and support. These pathways appeared to operate in parallel rather than through a single linear mechanism.

Conclusions and Implications:
Green space represents a modifiable environmental context that may support both parental well-being and caregiving quality. Findings position parenting as context-sensitive process shaped by both internal psychological states and environmental affordances, offering a novel framework for social work research. Implications include integrating nature-based and place-based strategies into family interventions, improving equitable access to safe and usable green spaces, and designing environments that support parent–child interaction. Future research should prioritize longitudinal and experimental designs, incorporate real-time measures of parent–child processes, and include diverse caregivers to strengthen causal inference and advance family-centered environmental interventions.