The Association of Exposure to Urban Greenspace and Depression in Women

Exposure to greenspace has been linked to reductions in depression symptoms; however, limited research has examined how this association impacts individual components of depression, such as depressed affect, somatic complaints, social interactions, and positive affect. This study aimed to explore the relationship between greenspace exposure and the subscales of the CESD-20 depression scale among women in Sabzevar, Iran. In 2019, a cross-sectional study was conducted with 741 women aged 15 to 45. Greenspace exposure for each participant was measured by assessing the distance to the nearest green space (of any size and those ≥ 5,000 m²) as well as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Modified Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index 2 (MSAVI2) within 100, 300, and 500 m buffers around their residences. Quasi-Poisson models were used to analyze the associations between greenspace exposure and CESD-20 scores and subscales. Results showed that NDVI at a 300 m buffer and MSAVI2 at 300 and 500 m buffers were inversely associated with total depression scores. In contrast, greater distances to green spaces of ≥ 5,000 m² were positively associated with higher total depression scores. Somatic complaints were significantly negatively associated with higher NDVI and MSAVI2 across several buffer sizes, while social interaction scores (Dis-Inter-Relation) were inversely related to MSAVI2 at 300 and 500 m buffers. Notably, positive affect scores were positively associated with NDVI at 100 and 300 m buffers. The likelihood of depression symptoms was lower with higher NDVI and MSAVI2 at 300 and 500 m buffers, while greater distances to larger green spaces were associated with higher symptoms. These findings suggest that higher greenspace exposure may reduce symptoms of depression, especially its negative components, among women.