The impact of environmental context on the psychological benefits derived from physical activity has attracted research attention in recent years. Previous reviews have compared effects of indoor versus outdoor exercise. This review compares the effects of physical activity undertaken in outdoor green natural environments versus outdoor urban environments on psychological health outcomes in adult general populations. An electronic literature search identified 24 experimental studies meeting the inclusion criteria. Results were analysed via narrative synthesis (n = 24) and meta‐analysis (n = 9) of effect on six outcomes. Narrative synthesis found in favour of the natural environment for anxiety, anger/hostility, energy, affect and positive engagement. Post‐intervention effect sizes suggested duration and social context as potential moderators. The meta‐analyses revealed large or moderate effects in favour of the natural environment for anxiety, fatigue, positive affect and vigour, and a small effect for depression. Results were subject to high risk of bias and heterogeneity. Physical activity undertaken outdoors in natural environments is more beneficial for a range of psychological outcomes compared with urban environments. The various effect sizes evident in the meta‐analyses may be explained by differing mechanisms through which psychological gains are experienced during physical activity in nature.

Purpose: Previous research has indicated that helping professionals working with traumatised individuals are susceptible to adverse effects which can be recognised as secondary traumatic stress (STS). The purpose of this paper is to explore STS in police officer’s investigating childhood sexual abuse (CSA) in the UK. Design/methodology/approach: This study employed a cross-sectional, quantitative design. An online questionnaire was completed by 101 Child Abuse Investigation Unit (CAIU) police officers in England and Wales. STS, coping strategies, anxiety, depression and demographic information was collected for all participants. Findings: It was indicated that increased exposure to CSA, measured by number of interviews in the past six months, was associated with higher levels of STS. Positive coping strategies, negative coping strategies, anxiety and depression all had a strong, positive relationship with STS. Research limitations/implications: This paper is a first step to understanding STS in CAIU police officers in the England and Wales. This area of research remains under-developed and would benefit from further attention in the future. Originality/value: This is the first known study of its kind in the UK.

Background: Exposure to green space and feeling connected to the natural environment have independently been associated with improved mental health outcomes. During the coronavirus pandemic, people experienced restrictions on access to the outdoors, and health data indicated a decline in mental health in the UK general population. Methods: Data available from two independent surveys conducted prior to and during the pandemic enabled a naturally occurring comparison of mental health and its correlates prior to and during the pandemic. Results: Survey responses from 877 UK residents were included in the analyses. Independent t-tests revealed significant declines in mental health scores during the pandemic. After controlling for age and gender, greater nature connection significantly predicted lower depression and stress and improved well-being. Percentage of green space did not significantly predict any mental health outcomes. Further, time point (pre- or during COVID) and the interaction of time point with green space and nature connection did not significantly predict any of the outcome measures. The findings indicate that nature connection may play an important role in promoting mental health. Strategies to improve mental health and reduce mental illness should consider the role of nature connection and the use of interventions that involve direct interaction with natural environments.

Children living on ‘the edge-of-care’ are typically known to local safeguarding authorities and are considered likely to face risks to their safety. Many are subject to a child protection plan and/or involved in ‘pre-proceedings’ processes. A growing number of their parents face (un)diagnosed mental health difficulties as well as economic and social precarity. This article draws on a mixed methods evaluation of a pilot service in the East of England offering a therapeutically led attachment-based intervention for families. The service cross-cuts health and social care, allowing psychologists and psychotherapists to work alongside social workers and other practitioners. The evaluation examined psychological and safeguarding outcomes and explored practitioner perspectives. A key outcome was that 85.4% of families were enabled to remain, or reunite with their child, compared with an estimated 50% of ‘edge-of-care’ cases nationally. This supports the need for similarly oriented interventions that could help lower the incidence of child removals.

Research has shown that compassion – whether to others, from others or to oneself – can be associated with improved well-being and mental health. Most measures to date focus on one of these flows of compassion, with only one recently published scale tracking all three. The primary aim of the current study was to investigate the psychometric properties of The Compassionate Engagement and Action Scales (CEAS) in a UK sample. The secondary aims were to investigate the level of compassion, as measured by the CEAS, in this population and its relationship to psychological distress and positive affect. This study employed a quantitative methodology with a longitudinal design, using an online questionnaire to collect data. 315 participants completed the CEAS alongside a number of self-report questionnaires. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to confirm the factor structure of the CEAS. The CEAS was found to have good psychometric properties as assessed by a number of statistical analyses of validity and reliability. With the removal of four items, a three factor model of compassion towards self, others and receiving compassion was found to be the best fitting model in this sample. In addition, three separate two factor models (to assess the structure of engagement and action) for each flow of compassion were conducted and found to produce good fit. On the whole, the three CEAS subscales were found to have good internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Moderate positive correlations between each subscale confirmed convergent validity. Overall, the general population reported higher levels of giving compassion to others than receiving compassion or being self-compassionate. Self-compassion was found to be the strongest predictor of psychological distress and positive affect. The CEAS is a psychometrically robust measure of compassion which can be used in research and clinical practice. Attention is likely needed to a single item relating to distress tolerance, with further study needed to explore the extent to which this construct might differ in clinical and non-clinical populations.