Abstract
Mental health and well-being of university student is critical in their academic performance, quality of life and personal growth at an important stage of their development. Among other factors, the built environment has a substantial impact, and students spend a significant part of their time in their university campus. This study reviews the relevant literature in order to synthesise the current body of knowledge and its gaps and limitations. Previous research from different fields of enquiry has demonstrated a range of effects on mental health for all the main aspects of the built environment, including its constitutive components (e.g. buildings, outdoor spaces), its spatial configuration (e.g. geometry, architecture), and its environmental characteristics (e.g. thermal, visual and acoustic factors). Furthermore, the current body of knowledge is still fragmented, lacking methodological consistency, systematisation and a specific framework for the educational spaces that can be translated in structured design guidelines.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Alah Ahadi A, KHanmohammadi M, Masoudinejad M, Alirezaie B (2015) Improving student performance by proper utilisation of daylight in educational environments (Case study: IUST1 School of Architecture). Acta Tech Napocensis: Civ Eng Archit 59(1)
Altman I, Low SM (1992) Place attachment: a conceptual inquiry. Springer, US, pp 1–12
Alderton A, Villanueva K, Higgs C, Badland H, Goldfeld S (2019). The importance of the neighbourhood built environment for Australian children's development. A report on a data linkage pilot project. Murdoch Children's Research Institute and RMIT University
American College Health Association (2009). American college health association-national college health assessment spring 2008 reference group data report (abridged). J Am Coll Health, 57(5)
Amerio A, Brambilla A, Morganti A, Aguglia A, Bianchi D, Santi F, Capolongo S (2020) COVID-19 lockdown: housing built environment’s effects on mental health. Int J Environ Res Public Health 17(16):5973
Asim F, Chani PS, Shree V (2021) Impact of COVID-19 containment zone built-environments on students’ mental health and their coping mechanisms. Build Environ 203:108107
Auerbach RP, Alonso J, Axinn WG, Cuijpers P, Ebert DD, Green JG, Bruffaerts R (2016) Mental disorders among college students in the World Health Organization world mental health surveys. Psychol Med 46(14):2955–2970
Azzazy S, Ghaffarianhoseini A, GhaffarianHoseini A, Naismith N, Doborjeh Z et al (2020) A critical review on the impact of built environment on users’ measured brain activity. Archit Sci Rev 64(4):319–335
Bantjes, J., Hunt, X., & Stein, D. J. (2022). Public Health Approaches to Promoting University Students’ Mental Health: A Global Perspective. Curr Psychiatry Rep 1–10
Barnett P, Arundell LL, Saunders R, Matthews H, Pilling S (2021) The efficacy of psychological interventions for the prevention and treatment of mental health disorders in university students: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Affect Disord 280:381–406
Bewick B, Koutsopoulou G, Miles J, Slaa E, Barkham M (2010) Changes in undergraduate students’ psychological well-being as they progress through university. Stud High Educ 35(6):633–645
Buttazzoni A, Dean J, Minaker L (2022) Urban design and adolescent mental health: a qualitative examination of adolescent emotional responses to pedestrian-and transit-oriented design and cognitive architecture concepts. Health Place 76:102825
Du Y, Zou Z, He Y, Zhou Y, Luo S (2022) Beyond blue and green spaces: identifying and characterising restorative environments on Sichuan Technology and Business University Campus. Int J Environ Res Public Health 19(20):13500
Evans GW, McCoy JM (1998) When buildings don’t work: the role of architecture in human health. J Environ Psychol 18:85–94
Ganesh GA et al (2021) Investigation of indoor environment quality and factors affecting human comfort: a critical review. Build Environ 204
Granito VJ, Santana ME (2016). 6.Granito-PsychologyOfLearningSpaces.pdf. J Learn Spaces 5(1)
Giuliani MV (2003) Theory of attachment and place attachment. Na, p 137
Kim J, Kim N (2022) Quantifying emotions in architectural environments using biometrics. Appl Sci 12(19)
Liu F, Alice Chang-Richards A, Wang IK, Dirks KN (2023) Effects of indoor environment factors on productivity of university workplaces: a structural equation model. Build Environ 233
Lyu B, Zeng C, Xie S, Li D, Lin W, Li N, Chen Q (2019) Benefits of a three-day bamboo forest therapy session on the psychophysiology and immune system responses of male college students. Int J Environ Res Public Health 16(24):4991
Martinez A, Nguyen S (2020) The impact of COVID-19 on college student well-being
Mortier P, Auerbach RP, Alonso J, Bantjes J, Benjet C, Cuijpers P, Vives M (2018) Suicidal thoughts and behaviors among first-year college students: results from the WMH-ICS project. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 57(4):263–273
Ohadomere O, Ogamba IK (2021) Management-led interventions for workplace stress and mental health of academic staff in higher education: a systematic review. J Ment Health Train Educ Pract 16(1):67–82
Rautio N, Filatova S, Lehtiniemi H, Miettunen J (2018) Living environment and its relationship to depressive mood: a systematic review. Int J Soc Psychiatry 64(1):92–103
Shan X, Melina AN, Yang E (2018) Impact of indoor environmental quality on students’ well-being and performance in educational building through life cycle costing perspective. J Clean Prod 204:298–309
Son C, Hegde S, Smith A, Wang X, Sasangohar F (2020) Effects of COVID-19 on college students’ mental health in the United States: interview survey study. J Med Internet Res 22(9):e21279
Song C, Ikei H, Park BJ, Lee J, Kagawa T, Miyazaki Y (2020) Association between the psychological effects of viewing forest landscapes and trait anxiety level. Int J Environ Res Public Health 17(15):5479
Valizadeh P, Iranmanesh A (2022) Inside out, exploring residential spaces during COVID-19 lockdown from the perspective of architecture students. Eur Plan Stud 30(2):211–226
Wang M, Liu J, Wu X, Li L, Hao XD, Shen Q, Sun RH (2020) The prevalence of depression among students in Chinese universities over the past decade: a meta-analysis. J Hainan Med Univ 26:44–50
Windhorst E, Williams A (2015) It’s like a different world”: natural places, post-secondary students, and mental health. Health Place 34:241–250
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this paper
Cite this paper
Wang, Y., Zhang, Y., Huang, X., Zhou, Z., Cimillo, M. (2024). The Impact of the University Built Environment on Students’ Mental Health and Well-Being: A Systematic Review. In: Papadikis, K., Zhang, C., Tang, S., Liu, E., Di Sarno, L. (eds) Towards a Carbon Neutral Future. ICSBS 2023. Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, vol 393. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-7965-3_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-7965-3_14
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-99-7964-6
Online ISBN: 978-981-99-7965-3
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)