Therapeutic qualities of the Recreational Belt Around Metropolis and visitors’ psychological restoration: indirect associations via well-being experiences and configurational analysis

Introduction The Recreational Belt Around Metropolis (ReBAM) provides opportunities for ecological leisure, recreation, entertainment, and cultural exchange while offering relatively low time and financial costs. In recent years, it has become an increasingly important option for urban residents seeking relief from daily stress and opportunities for physical and mental relaxation. Guided by the stimulus–organism–response (SOR) framework, this study develops a model of the relationships among the therapeutic qualities of ReBAM, hedonic well-being, eudaimonic well-being, and psychological restoration and examines the associations among these constructs. Methods Data were collected through a cross-sectional questionnaire survey at four recreational sites within ReBAM in Shenyang, yielding 474 valid responses. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to examine the direct and indirect associations among the constructs, while fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was used to identify configurations of conditions associated with high levels of psychological restoration. Results The SEM results indicate that the therapeutic qualities of ReBAM are significantly and positively associated with eudaimonic well-being ( β = 0.55, p < 0.001), hedonic well-being ( β = 0.38, p < 0.001), and psychological restoration ( β = 0.23, p < 0.001). The estimated indirect associations via both eudaimonic well-being ( B = 0.127, p = 0.011) and hedonic well-being ( B = 0.131, p < 0.001) are statistically significant, and the direct association between therapeutic qualities and psychological restoration remains significant. The fsQCA results indicate that no single condition meets the specified necessity threshold and identify five configurations associated with high levels of psychological restoration, the overall solution consistency was 0.802, and the overall solution coverage was 0.494. Discussion Drawing on therapeutic landscape theory, these findings provide further insight into the relationships among the therapeutic qualities of ReBAM, the two forms of well-being, and visitors’ psychological restoration, while highlighting multiple combinations of conditions associated with high levels of psychological restoration. The findings may inform the development of therapeutic environments and health-oriented planning for recreational spaces within ReBAM.