Nature variables and mental health in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD®) Study

Natural environments (e.g., forests, parks, neighborhood greenery) may support adolescent mental health, but whether such associations generalize across diverse U.S. populations remains unclear. The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study provides an opportunity to test these associations in a large, demographically diverse national sample (>11,000 adolescents). We evaluated five baseline (age 9–10) nature measures from ABCD Release 5.1 using the PRIGSHARE (Preferred Reporting Items for Greenspace and Health Research) framework to assess accuracy, quality, and relevance. Two measures—percent tree canopy and park cover at the census tract level—were identified as high-quality and epidemiologically appropriate. Mental health was assessed using parent-reported outcomes from the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Nature data were available for 11,164 participants (47.65% female). After covariate adjustment, adolescents living in areas with greater tree canopy demonstrated modestly better mental health, including lower internalizing (β = –0.03, 95% CI: –0.052, –0.015, p < .001) and externalizing (β = –0.02, 95% CI: –0.040, –0.003, p = .026) problems. Secondary analyses indicated modestly lower somatic complaints, social problems, depression, and anxiety symptoms. This study introduces a framework for evaluating linked-nature measures and offers preliminary evidence of weak beneficial associations with adolescent mental health across the United States.