In your own back yard : a case study of the implications of nature-based place attachment for caregivers
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Issue Date
2017-07-21
Editor
Authors
Holmes, Shawna Leigh
License
Subject
caregivers
ecopsychology
place attachment
place-sitting
resilience
self-care
ecopsychology
place attachment
place-sitting
resilience
self-care
Abstract
This interdisciplinary case study was created in an effort to better understand the experiences of caregivers to children with atypical neurological developments as they participated in a four part contemplative, nature experience. Ten participants completed the Connectedness to Nature Scale (CNS) at the beginning of the study and again after completing four, 30 minute place-sitting activities in nearby natural settings. Reflective journaling and a final exit interview helped reveal more about their experiences. The journal entries and the interviews were later transcribed, coded, and analyzed for overarching themes and patterns and the CNS scale data were compared. While this case study could not fully verify causation for any changes the caregivers reported during these nature-based experiences, it did demonstrate that alone time spent in nature on a regular basis as a process for self-care and increased resilience is a model worthy of further consideration and future study.