Analysis of Satisfaction and Characteristics of Using University Campus Gardens for Enhancing the Mental Well-Being of University Students

Abstract

Background and objective: Recently, mental health problems of university students have emerged due to low employment rates and increased unemployment. Therefore, this study attempted to examine the effect of the characteristics of and satisfaction with university campus gardens on mental well-being and to suggest ways to create and utilize campus gardens as a means of promoting mental health for university students.Methods: A survey was conducted on university students and graduate students attending G University located in J City, Gyeongsangnam-do. The survey was conducted from July 1 to December 10, 2019. The survey results of 516 subjects were ultimately used, and the survey items consisted of general characteristics, satisfaction with garden use, garden use characteristics, and mental well-being. The survey results were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 25.Results: In the case of garden use characteristics, 'simple travel path' was the most common purpose of use, and the highest frequency of use was 1-2 times a week. The factor that had the strongest positive correlation with overall satisfaction was satisfaction with using the garden as a leisure and recreation space, and the frequency of use also had a positive correlation. As a result of examining the effect of satisfaction and frequency of use on mental well-being, it was found that symbolism, visual beauty, and frequency of garden use had a positive effect.Conclusion: In order for university students to use campus gardens as a tool to improve their mental well-being and as a place for leisure and recreation, efforts must be made to adequately arrange the characteristics of the region where each university campus is located and the symbolic elements of each university, to enhance the scenic beauty so that students can experience visual beauty, and to fulfill visual satisfaction by arranging plants or facilities with distinct characteristics for each season.