Previous psychological research has demonstrated the benefits of visiting natural environments, especially coastal areas. However, research within Marine Biology has shown that such visits can harm natural habitats. Consequently, this thesis uses an integrative approach to examine both the risks to the environment and benefits to the human visitors in the context of rocky shores (intertidal areas where solid rock predominates). This was investigated using seven studies that involved a range of methods. Perception-based surveys (Studies 1 & 2) explored the perceived impacts on the visitor, and the potential impacts these visits can have on the rocky shore. Study 3 then examined the impacts on visitors’ well-being & marine awareness directly using a before-after survey on current visitors to two rocky shores. The most prominent habitat threat (leaving rubbish) was then examined in greater detail. Studies 4 and 5 examined the effects of marine litter on individuals’ well-being using two laboratory experimental designs; comparing individuals’ quantitative (Study 4) and qualitative (Study 5) responses to natural and littered shores. The final two studies then focused on an activity that reduces marine litter: Study 6 adopted a pre-post design to examine the benefits of engaging in beach cleans for current volunteers, whilst Study 7 used an experimental design comparing beach cleans with two other coastal activities on a more naïve sample. Overall, these studies provide evidence that experiencing rocky shores are beneficial for well-being and marine awareness. Counteracting such benefits, litter left behind after recreational visits were found to be detrimental to individuals’ well-being. As one potential solution to this issue, beach cleans were found to have the same, and additional beneficial effects on the individual as other coastal activities. Thus, activities which have a relatively positive impact on the environment can also have similar if not additional benefits to the visitor. This programme of research shows the importance of taking a holistic, integrative approach that takes into account both the risks to the environment and benefits to the individual resulting from recreational visits to natural environments.

This thesis focuses on virtual restorative environments – specifically, the way that natural environments have been created in a virtual context to elicit beneficial effects on restoration and stress recovery. As the field of restorative environment research is mostly concerned with studying the environment itself, the interaction between participant and environment tends to consist of open exploration, and other ways to interact are often overlooked. The aim of this thesis was therefore to construct a virtual restorative environment with an additional possibility to interact, and to explore how the interaction is connected to a virtual environment’s perceived restorativeness. To gain deeper understanding about how different people perceived the virtual environments, the experiment was conducted using qualitative measures such as questionnaires, open questions and interviews. The results indicate that the perception of a virtual environment’s restorativeness is a very subjective matter, as the individual differences between the participants affected the way that they perceived the environments.

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A virtual environment can offer a highly immersive experience with a feeling of presence similar to the physical world. Nevertheless, it still lacks several multisensory and emotional properties to fully substitute or replicate the physical world's richness and complexity. Accordingly, this study examines how multisensory integration relates to the immersive and restorative outcomes in an artificial nature paradigm. Our experiment collected behavioral and physiological data through self-report questionnaires and heart rate variability assessment from 30 participants. Notably, due to unforeseen technicalities, the heart rate data was not analyzed. Participants were divided into three conditions comparing audio and visual stimuli.Two conditions were unisensory (visual and auditory), and one was multisensory (audio-visual). We found no statistically significant difference in the level of immersion between unisensory and multisensory conditions, supporting the inconsistency and need formore research regarding the relationship between multisensory integration and immersion. Inrelation to restorativeness, we found a significant difference between audio-visual and audioconditions. Additionally, the medium to strong effect size indicates that visual stimuli substantially influence restorative effects more than audio stimuli. Collectively, in line with previous research, we observed a positive effect on restorativeness from spending time in artificial nature. Despite some limitations, our findings provide guidance for future researchers and contribute to the understanding of immersive multisensory VR experiences and their potential to promote mental rejuvenation and optimize restoration.

There is a lack of anxiety relief methods used in the hospitality workplace. This study examines the effectiveness of two forms of anxiety relief through four different methods. The data collection took place in classroom environments at the University of North Texas and the University of New Orleans, both of which are located in southern USA. The independent variables are the recovery method, the mediator variables are restorativeness and emotional improvement, and the dependent variables are negative job affects, positive job affects, turnover intention, and job commitment. Professors were asked for some time during their lecture to conduct the experiment in a classroom environment during the students' class time. Eight classes were visited, with each class being exposed to a designated anxiety relief method. The anxiety relief methods consisted of using a virtual reality headset with sound, virtual reality headset without sound, nature pictures with sound, and nature pictures without sound. Results of 206 usable surveys indicated virtual reality recovery method evoked higher levels of restorativeness than picture recovery method. Restorativeness partially mediated the effects of positive job affects and job commitment. lastly, emotional improvement partially mediated the effects of negative job affects, positive job affects, and turnover intention.

With increasing trends in global migration and urbanization causing human health issues such as psychological stress, context-sensitive planning and strategizing for outdoor nature-based interventions, such as urban green spaces (UGS), paves way for sustainable and socially just cities and communities. This study aims to explore and identify this context in regard to immigrants in Sweden through triangulation of collected data involving participants’ perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors toward migration, urban green spaces, and human health in the framework of the perceived restorative qualities of Kaplan & Kaplan’s Attention Restoration Theory (ART). Methods for data collection included an online survey and perceived restorativeness (PRS) test administered to 100 respondents, and semi-structured interviews, photovoice storytelling, and a similar PRS test to 18 interviewees. The collected data was analyzed through mixed methods. Quantitative data analysis was performed using descriptive analysis and the Kruskal-Wallis test to detect significant differences of PRS test results of survey respondents in regard to aspects of their migration background and UGS perspectives. Qualitative data analysis was performed using thematic analysis on data collected from the interviewees resulting to five identified main themes. Furthermore, results from both qualitative and quantitative analyses are interpreted through a reconstruction of narratives of potential UGS beneficiaries. Findings have shown evidence of migration-related experiences, memories, and lifestyles as main factors of current attitudes and behaviors toward UGS, and consequently affecting maximization of intended UGS benefits. Air pollution and negative social experiences were shown to be main factors affecting participants’ wellbeing and frequency of UGS use. Water features, family-friendly orientation, and walkability in outdoor spaces were shown to be main preferences hinting at pathways of UGS toward improved human wellbeing. Despite the challenge of needing personal life context to enlighten socially just decision-making in the planning of urban outdoor spaces, the interconnectedness of perspectives of interview and survey participants with varying migration backgrounds through the reconstructed narratives shed light on pathways that urban planners can choose to focus on. / Denna studie utforskar migrationens och urbana grönområdens (UGS) kontext i Sverige, med fokus på invandrares uppfattningar, attityder och beteenden gentemot UGS och hälsa inom ramen för Kaplan & Kaplans Attention Restoration Theory (ART). Datainsamlingen inkluderade en online-enkät och ett test för upplevd återhämtning (PRS) som administrerades till 100 respondenter, samt semistrukturerade intervjuer, fotoberättelser och PRS-test till 18 intervjuade. Blandad metodanalys avslöjade migrationsrelaterade erfarenheter som nyckelfaktorer som påverkar UGS-användning och välbefinnande. Preferenser inkluderade vatteninslag, familjevänliga områden och gångvänlighet. Luftföroreningar och negativa sociala erfarenheter påverkade välbefinnandet och UGS-användningen negativt. Resultaten informerar om socialt rättvis stadsplanering.