Green space or nature-focused interventions to support parent wellbeing or parent-infant relationships: A scoping review

• Nature interventions have potential to boost parent wellbeing and parent-child relationships • Barriers to engagement include inaccessible locations, safety concerns, and equipment needs • Enablers include easily accessible locations, expert facilitators, and building relationships • Interventions were successfully delivered by various roles, suggesting scalability and accessibility • Activities included physical, reflective, arts/crafts, gardening, and foraging Green spaces and nature-focused interventions are known to have positive impacts on mental health and wellbeing and can facilitate engagement for adults and children. However, less is known about the benefits of facilitated, nature-focused interventions for parents/caregivers. This scoping review aims to synthesise existing literature to understand nature-focused interventions to support parent/caregiver wellbeing, how the outcomes of these interventions have been measured, and what the barriers and facilitators are to implementation and sustainability. A systematic search was performed across MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Web of Science using a predefined search strategy. Studies were screened based on eligibility criteria, and data were extracted to chart intervention characteristics and reported outcomes using a TiDier checklist. A narrative synthesis was conducted. The review identified 28 papers describing 24 nature-based interventions for parents/ caregivers from pregnancy to children age 12. Interventions were delivered in urban and rural environments, and a typology was developed to describe the activities. Interventions were delivered by facilitators from health or outdoors backgrounds. The interventions were evaluated using a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods. Common barriers to engagement were weather conditions, accessibility of the environment, anxieties about group settings, appropriate training and capacity for staff to deliver the intervention. Nature-focused interventions for parents/caregivers are being delivered, but would benefit from increased co-design with parents/caregivers, and development of theories of change for rigorous evaluation. Consideration is needed around access to intervention location, facilitators’ skills to create a non-judgmental environment, and inclusion of underserved groups.