Residential Greenspace and Youth Antisocial Behavior and Depressed Mood

This study explores how relationships between greenspace and youth antisocial behavior and depressed mood are influenced by different social and demographic contexts. Survey data were collected from 362 youth from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Greenspace was measured as the percent of tree canopy present within 1600m of the home address. Demographic and contextual variables included youth age, gender, racial and ethnic background, family socioeconomic status (SES), peer group deviance, and community violence exposure. The amount of tree canopy was modestly related to youth outcomes, although results became non-significant for antisocial behavior after considering demographic covariates. Subgroup analyses revealed a significant negative relationship between tree canopy and antisocial behavior only in high SES youth and White youth, while the relationship between tree canopy and lower depressed mood was only significant for high SES youth, youth unexposed to community violence, and youth with low levels of peer deviance. These results indicate that greenspace effects may benefit more privileged youth. Results further suggested that the relationship between tree canopy and youth outcomes was generally stronger for younger youth and females. This study provides evidence that the protective effects of greenspace for youth may vary across demographic, social, and developmental context.