Introduction: Adolescence is a key stage of physical and psychological development, during which academic, social, and identity-related pressures significantly affect mental health. Understanding how stress can foster positive growth is vital for promoting well-being. Attention restoration theory indicates that natural environments reduce mental fatigue and enhance positive emotions, yet the mediating role of nature exposure in the stress-growth pathway remains underexplored longitudinally.
Purpose: This study examines whether adolescents' perceived stress fosters positive psychological functions (e.g., engagement, optimism, and perseverance) through the mediating role of natural exposure, revealing a potential "stress-nature-mental growth" pathway.
Method: A three-wave longitudinal study was conducted at three time points from April 2024 to September 2025 with 2663 adolescents in China. Participants completed the Perceived Stress Scale, Nature Exposure Scale, and Chinese EPOCH Measure of Adolescent Well-being. Longitudinal mediation analysis tested nature exposure (T2) as a mediator between perceived stress (T1) and positive psychological function (T3).
Results: The mean age was 14.32 years (SD=1.31), and 53.4% were male and 46.6% female. Longitudinal mediation analysis showed that perceived stress (T1) negatively predicted positive psychological function (T3) (β=-0.35, P<0.0001) and nature exposure (T2) (β=-0.04, P=0.0001). Nature exposure (T2) positively predicted positive psychological function (T3) (β=0.46, P<0.0001). Moreover, nature exposure (T2) significantly mediated the association between perceived stress (T1) and positive psychological function (T3), with an indirect coefficient of -0.0174 and a 95% confidence interval of [-0.0321, -0.0060].
Conclusions: Findings highlight that adolescents adapt to stress by engaging with natural environments, which fosters positive psychological function. Natural exposure mediated stress into growth, underscoring the need for educators and parents to promote nature immersion as a strategy for stress management and mental health.