Study finds time outdoors helps children with mental health issues [Video]

By Stephen Beech via SWNS

Spending time in the great outdoors helps children with mental health issues, suggests a new study.

Researchers found that nature reduces emotional distress among troubled 10- to 12-year-olds.

They say their findings suggest that an inexpensive school-based program may help the most vulnerable youngsters.

Canadian researchers discovered that spending two hours a week of class time in a natural environment can reduce emotional distress among 10- to 12-year-olds who had the most significant mental health problems before the program began.

The research, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, follows the recent publication of a UNICEF report pointing to the importance of green space for children’s development.

The Canadian team looked at the effects of spending time in nature on the behavior and mental health symptoms of more than 500 schoolchildren across Quebec in the spring of 2023.

They found that at the end of a three-month period, teachers noted that the …