ArticleFrontiers in psychology2025
Driven by feelings or stimulated by context: how childhood nature experience shaped adulthood pro-environmental behavior?
Article in Frontiers in psychology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Influencing pro-environmental behaviors through visual arts: a scoping review of research designs and state of knowledge.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Pooled it
- Nature contact and adolescent paper-reuse behavior: place attachment versus climate anxiety in a two-wave study of Chinese adolescents.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- The role of nature relatedness on environmental ethics awareness and environmental behavior among young adults: a moderated mediation model of environmental organization membership.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
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3 authors.
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Abstract
Introduction: In recent years, China has vigorously promoted sustainable social development, aiming to enhance residents' environmental protection awareness and encourage their active participation in environmental protection through various means. To achieve this goal, cultivating environmental feelings (EF) among residents has become a key initiative. Childhood nature experiences (CNE) may have a profound impact on pro-environmental behaviors (PEB) in adulthood. However, the specific mechanisms underlying this influence remain unclear. Methods: This study, viewed through the lens of the biophilia hypothesis, uses EF and environmental contacts (EC) as mediating variables, and environmental risk perception (ERP) as a moderating variable. Statistical analyses, including multiple linear regression, mediation, and moderation analyses, were conducted on data from 1,499 survey responses to explore the mechanisms through which CNE influence PEB in adulthood. Results: (1) The study shows that CNE do not have a direct effect on PEB in adulthood, but instead exert an indirect influence through EF and EC, with the mediating effect of EF being stronger than that of EC. (2) ERP significantly moderates the relationship between EC and two types of PEB, as well as the link between EF and private sphere pro-environmental behaviors (PRIEB). However, it does not significantly moderate the relationship between EF and public sphere pro-environmental behaviors (PUBEB). (3) ERP significantly moderates most of the mediating effects. Conclusion: The findings suggest that relying solely on childhood EC does not directly shape adult PEB. Compared to EC, EF play a larger mediating role between CNE and adult PEB. ERP strengthens the mediating effects of both EC and EF. The study emphasizes that both unstructured nature contact and planned, educational outdoor activities during childhood are equally important. Society should provide abundant opportunities for nature experiences, cultivate environmental feelings, and establish a close connection with nature to lay the foundation for developing future participants and advocates for environmental protection.
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