Connectedness to Nature and Well-Being: A Survey among University Employees and Medical Students

Both connectedness to nature and spirituality have been linked to health and well-being. However, most of the empirical evidence for the association is based on studies from English speaking areas, in particular Anglo-America. Potential mechanisms are largely unexplored. This paper is aimed at investigating these relationships in a cross-sectional online survey. Participants were employees and students at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria. The online questionnaire asked for socio-demographics, connectedness to nature and well-being with two scales each and spirituality with a single item scale. Correlation analysis found small to moderate associations between connectedness to nature and well-being. Mediation analysis with spirituality as a mediator showed significant mediation. We discuss results with respect to public health and options for further research.