Identifying the relationship between outdoor public spaces and university students’ psychological performance

Several studies provided evidence that outdoor public spaces around university campuses have a significant impact on students’ psychological functioning, mental well-being, and overall satisfaction. In addition, psychological restoration has been considered the primary mediator in the relationship between outdoor public spaces (as environmental interventions) and students’ psychological performance on university campuses, while other factors, such as place attachment, have largely been overlooked.

Therefore, the current study examined the mediating role of psychological restoration and place attachment in the relationship between perceived environmental qualities of outdoor public spaces and mental well-being and satisfaction among Italian university students.

A cross-sectional design was employed to collect data from a convenience sample of Italian university students enrolled at the University of Foggia. Participants completed an online survey comprising a socio-demographic section, Perceived Environmental Qualities Index (PEQI), Psychological Restoration Scale, Place Attachment Scale and self-reported scales measuring mental well-being and satisfaction. A structural equation model was applied to the data. The tested models included the seven dimensions of PEQI as predictors and mental well-being and satisfaction as outcomes for each model.

The sample consisted of 350 university students (94.4% female; 4.9% male; 0.7% prefer not to say). Results generally indicated a significant mediating role of both place attachment and psychological restoration on students’ psychological performance, although different patterns of associations emerged for mental well-being and satisfaction. These findings shed light on the mechanisms through which common space characteristics affect students’ performance and offer valuable insights for urban design. In this direction, our investigation could assist designers, planners, and policymakers in developing a deeper understanding of how the characteristics of outdoor public spaces influence students’ psychological performance.