Effect Of Nature Contact On Positive Youth Development:a Multiple Mediation Model

Rebuilding the harmonious relationship with nature is an important issue for China’s future social development.Nature contact refers to human interaction with the natural and is an integral part of daily productive life.In Western empirical research,nature contact has been shown to be positively correlated with positive youth development and its dimensions.However,there are few empirical studies in China,and whether nature contact affects the positive development of Chinese adolescents remains to be tested,so this study examines the relationship between nature contact and positive youth development,as well as the mediating role of focused attention,connectedness to nature and perceived stress in the relationship between the two,based on the role theory of nature contact.In this study,587 students from four middle schools in Nanning were selected as research subjects using the Chinese Positive Youth Development Scale,Adolescent outdoor duration,Focus Questionnaire,Connectedness to Nature Scale and Chinese Perceived Stress Scale.The results showed that:(1)Nature contact not only directly predicts positive youth development,but also indirectly affects positive youth development through three pathways: focused attention,connectedness to nature and perceived stress;(2)The Attention Restoration Theory,the Biophilia Hypothesis and the Stress Recovery Theory are all confirmed,but the Biophilia Hypothesis plays a more important role in explaining the effects of nature contact on positive youth development.The study examined the internal mechanism of focused attention,connectedness to nature and perceived stress on the positive youth development by nature contact.On the one hand,the findings confirm the Biophilia Hypothesis,the Stress Recovery Theory and the Attention Restoration Theory of nature contact,and on the other hand,it provides a strategic reference for how to promote the positive youth development through nature contact.