Nature exposure and negative body image among college students: A three-wave longitudinal study

Growing evidence suggests that nature exposure promotes positive body image, yet its relationship with negative body image remains underexplored. This three-wave longitudinal study examined the bidirectional relationships between nature exposure and three core components of negative body image-body surveillance, body shame, and body dissatisfaction-among Chinese university students. Data were collected at baseline and 4- and 8-week follow-ups, with a total of 631 undergraduates (390 women, 241 men) providing valid data on at least one wave. Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model (RI-CLPM) revealed the following. At the between-person level, the random intercept of nature exposure was negatively correlated with those of body surveillance, body shame, and body dissatisfaction. At the within-person level, the path from T1 nature exposure to T2 body surveillance was negative and approached significance; T2 nature exposure positively predicted T3 body shame among men but negatively predicted T3 body shame among women; T2 body shame positively predicted T3 nature exposure in the full sample; no significant cross-lagged paths emerged between nature exposure and body dissatisfaction. These findings indicate that the longitudinal relationship between nature exposure and negative body image is multifaceted and gender-dependent, underscoring the need for construct-specific, gender-sensitive approaches in future research and intervention design.