Rationale, Feasibility, and Acceptability of the Meeting in Nature Together (MINT) Program: A Novel Nature-Based Social Intervention for Loneliness Reduction with Teen Parents and Their Peers
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Setting
2.2. Intervention
2.3. Guiding Conceptual Frameworks for Intervention
2.4. Intervention Curriculum
2.5. Recruitment and Consent
2.6. Data Collection
2.7. Qualitative Analysis
2.8. Quantitative Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Participant Characteristics
3.2. Attendance and MINT Completion
3.3. Student Participant and School Administrator Feedback
3.3.1. Mindfulness, Mental Wellness Aspects Resonated with Participants
3.3.2. Participants Enjoyed Engaging with Nature Photography Elements
3.3.3. MINT Provided the Opportunity for Participants to Connect and Feel a Sense of Belonging
3.3.4. MINT Motivated Participants to Deepen Their Relationship to the Natural World
3.3.5. Participants Needed More Emotional Support during the COVID-19 Pandemic
3.4. MINT Feasibility
4. Discussion
4.1. COVID-19 Pandemic Environment
4.2. Participant Loneliness Levels
4.3. Participant Sense of Belonging
4.4. Limitations
4.5. Future Directions
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Timing and Theme | Session 1: Fall 2020 | Session 2: Spring 2021 | Theoretical Rationale |
---|---|---|---|
Session 1: Connecting Counts | Online: General MINT overview, creating shared agreements about participation and establishing an open and accepting atmosphere. The group reviews some nature quotes together and discusses a time when they each felt connected to nature and others. | Self-determination theory, mindfulness practices | |
Session 2: Stepping out | Online: Social network mapping exercise, students draw a connected map of their social relationships. The group shares and discuss social worlds, and what areas of life are the most and least social. | Appreciative inquiry, Self-determination theory, mindfulness practices | |
Session 3: Surrounding ourselves | Online: Guest speaker leads a discussion on positive relationship skills. Students draw on lesson plans to list as a group how to surround themselves with supportive people. The students discuss a list of positive relationship qualities that help build a strong social network. | Appreciative inquiry, Self-determination theory, Social Cognitive Theory, mindfulness practices | |
Session 4: Nature photography | Online: Discuss examples and strategies for nature photography. The facilitator demonstrates how to use the iNaturalist mobile phone application [62] to track plant and animal species nearby. | The same activities, in person in local park, with a nature walk | Self-determination theory, mindfulness practices |
Session 5: Creating collectively | Online: Guest speaker: a local intuitive medicine practitioner and former teen mother led a tea ceremony after mailing packets of tea to each student. The facilitator also selects student photography to review as a group. | In person in local park: a local artist/naturalist DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival) recipient from the neighborhood shared his nature photography, cameras, and nature mandalas made with invasive species. (DACA legislation supports young people who entered the USA unlawfully as children). | Self-determination theory, Social Cognitive Theory, mindfulness practices |
Session 6: Making time | Online: Participants each draw a 2-week calendar in their journals. The group discusses time management and making time for social connection between family and school. The students manually block out time in the calendars for social activity, school, and family for a sample week. The group then discussed their typical weeks and challenges they faced in connecting with others due to parenting responsibilities. The facilitator also selects student photography to review as a group. | Appreciative inquiry, Self-determination theory, mindfulness practices | |
Session 7: Nature is for everyone | Online: Guest speaker, Executive Director of a Latinx outdoor leadership nonprofit leads discussion on his work and diversity in the outdoors. The facilitator also selects student photography to review as a group. | Self-determination theory, Social Cognitive Theory, mindfulness practices | |
Session 8: Ideal Day | Online: Participants spend a few moments journaling in the beginning of class. The prompt focuses on their idea of an ideal day outdoors. The group shares what their ideal day outdoors would look like. Select additional student photographs to review as a group. Close by summarizing key themes from the nature photography, short nature meditation. | The same activities, in person in local park, with a nature walk | Self-determination theory, mindfulness practices |
Session 9: Park walk | Only in spring session | In person at local park, with group check-ins, nature walk, journaling, and meditation | Self-determination theory, mindfulness practices |
Session 10: Park walk | Only in spring session | In person at local park, with group check-ins, nature walk, journaling, and meditation | Self-determination theory, mindfulness practices |
Session 11: Park walk | Only in spring session | In person at local park, with group check-ins, nature walk, journaling, and meditation | Self-determination theory, mindfulness practices |
Method | Description |
---|---|
Audiovisual recording | Each Google Classroom session was recorded and transcribed by study staff. |
Participant questionnaire | We collected demographic data and baseline loneliness data [63] on study participants with a pilot questionnaire. After the program ended, participants filled out a feedback form on their final reflections from the study and another loneliness survey. |
Participant observation | After each session, Author 1 wrote field notes of her impressions of participant conversations and actions. |
Facilitator evaluation | Author 1 filled out a facilitator evaluation after each session to reflect on the fidelity, dose delivered, and reach of the session aligned to MINT objectives. |
Session attendance | Participant attendance in each session was documented. Students received incentives in the form of gift cards and bus passes for attending and completing the program. |
Variable | 2020 Cohort (n = 8) | 2021 Cohort (n = 9) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Demographic Characteristics | Mean (Range) or n (%) | Mean (Range) or n (%) | ||
Age | 17.35 (14–18) | 17.52 (15–19) | ||
Sex | ||||
Female | 6 (75%) | 7 (78%) | ||
Male | 2 (25%) | 2 (22%) | ||
Education | ||||
Freshman | 1 (13%) | 1 (11%) | ||
Sophomore | 1 (13%) | 1 (11%) | ||
Junior | 0 | 3 (33%) | ||
Senior | 6 (75%) | 4 (44%) | ||
Frequency (% of responses) | Frequency (% of responses) | |||
Race/Ethnicity 3 | ||||
Caucasian/White | 0 | 1 (8%) | ||
African American/Black | 1 (13%) | 3 (25%) | ||
Asian/Asian-American | 0 | 0 | ||
Hispanic/Latino | 5 (63%) | 6 (50%) | ||
Native American | 0 | 0 | ||
Other | 2 (25%) 1 | 2 (17%) 2 | ||
Living Situation 3 | ||||
Alone | 0 | 0 | ||
With other students | 0 | 0 | ||
With roommates who are not students | 0 | 0 | ||
With parent(s), relative(s), or guardian(s) | 8 (80%) | 8 (80%) | ||
With a husband/wife domestic partner/significant other | 0 | 0 | ||
With my child/children | 2 (20%) | 2 (20%) | ||
Outcomes | Completion n (%) | Mean (SD) | Completion n (%) 4 | Mean (SD) |
Loneliness | ||||
Initial | 8 (100%) | 47.38 (15.25) | 9 (100%) | 48.67 (7.07) |
Follow Up | 8 (100%) | 44.75 (10.70) | 3 (33%) | 50.00 (3.61) |
Session | Attendance Fall 2020 | Attendance Spring 2021 |
---|---|---|
1 | 8 (100%) | 4 (44%) |
2 | 5 (63%) | 8 (89%) |
3 | 5 (63%) | 4 (44%) |
4 | 6 (75%) | 3 (33%) |
5 | 8 (100%) | 3 (33%) |
6 | 7 (88%) | 4 (44%) |
7 | 6 (75%) | 5 (56%) |
8 | 8 (100%) | 4 (44%) |
9 * | n/a | 4 (44%) |
10 * | n/a | 3 (33%) |
11 * | n/a | 3 (33%) |
Key Finding | Examples of Participant/Administrator Quotation | Respondent |
---|---|---|
Mindfulness, mental wellness aspects resonated with participants | “I loved how [the facilitator] would share pictures with everyone and meditated, it helped me feel really calm” | Female, age 18, fall 2020 |
“I am meeting with [student] right now and she is super close to graduating this year but needs another elective credit. She was talking about how much she got out of your class and how helpful it was for her mental health. Would she be able to take the class again? Or be a teacher’s assistant? I understand if neither are an option, we just thought we would ask!” | Female, school social worker | |
“I feel like good and like stress relief as soon as I go outside, and I feel more active when I come inside…Yeah, like more creative, and it makes me just feel so good about myself” | Male, age 18, Fall 2020 | |
Participants enjoyed engaging with nature photography elements | “I liked the requirement of having to take pictures every week because it motivated me to keep going outside getting air even for just a second.” | Female, age 19, Fall 2020 |
“I would recommend that you keep where students have to take pictures of nature and upload them. That inspires me to go take more pictures outside.” | Male, age 18, Fall 2020 | |
“I would recommend that you guys keep the photograph aspect of the program because that was my favorite part of the program” | Female, age 17, spring 2021 | |
MINT provided the opportunity for participants to connect and feel a sense of belonging | “...I never thought that I would feel so good with people I barely knew.” | Female, age 16, fall 2020 |
“The way I would describe my sense of connecting with others during the program was a right way, I loved every one that was in the program they were nice and supportive.” | Male, age 17, fall 2020 | |
“…i felt like i was being cared for and part of the group” | Female, age 19, spring 2021 | |
“During the program I was comfortable with connecting with people. It was the right balance of getting to know/connect with people and the right balance of how I’m comfortable with nature” | Female, age 17, spring 2021 | |
“I started to be more social and comfortable with others because [the facilitator] made us feel like we could talk and communicate with each other” | Female, age 19, fall 2020 | |
“This experience was amazing I loved meeting everyone in the group” | Male, age 17, spring 2021 | |
MINT motivated participants to deepen their relationship to the natural world | “... I saw [MINT] as an opportunity to connect to nature as I was when I was a child. During the program I saw how different people connect with nature and what nature means for them. In the beginning it was hard for me to connect with nature but as the program/time went by nature became more in depth into my subconscious, sometimes I would get thoughts out of nowhere during my day of going in nature and disconnecting myself from my phone. The program has helped me take the first step, which are always the hardest, to help me connect with nature.” | Female, age 17, spring 2021 |
“My experience in connecting more with nature... I feel more relaxed and happier.” | Female, age 16, fall 2020 student | |
“I loved it. It makes me realize more about nature and how important it is” | Female, age 17, fall 2020 | |
“I thought you would like to hear some fun news. [Student]’s family came and told me how much he is getting out of your class and how he loves it. They said he used to never get outside and how he is taking the family for walks! His cousin I believe [student] wants to join the class too so they can take walks together and get outside more.” | Female, school social worker | |
Participants needed more emotional support during the COVID-19 pandemic | “I feel like meeting more in person and really checking up on how everyone is doing [is needed]” | Male, age 17, spring 2021 |
“[I suggest to] Meet more just to know each other and talk” | Female, age 16, spring 2021 |
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Sachs, A.L.; Coringrato, E.; Sprague, N.; Turbyfill, A.; Tillema, S.; Litt, J. Rationale, Feasibility, and Acceptability of the Meeting in Nature Together (MINT) Program: A Novel Nature-Based Social Intervention for Loneliness Reduction with Teen Parents and Their Peers. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 11059. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191711059
Sachs AL, Coringrato E, Sprague N, Turbyfill A, Tillema S, Litt J. Rationale, Feasibility, and Acceptability of the Meeting in Nature Together (MINT) Program: A Novel Nature-Based Social Intervention for Loneliness Reduction with Teen Parents and Their Peers. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022; 19(17):11059. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191711059
Chicago/Turabian StyleSachs, Ashby Lavelle, Eva Coringrato, Nadav Sprague, Angela Turbyfill, Sarah Tillema, and Jill Litt. 2022. "Rationale, Feasibility, and Acceptability of the Meeting in Nature Together (MINT) Program: A Novel Nature-Based Social Intervention for Loneliness Reduction with Teen Parents and Their Peers" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, no. 17: 11059. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191711059