Modelling How Campus Green Space Exposure Predicts Stress Alleviation Among University Students: A PLS-SEM Investigation of Cognitive, Social, and Mood Factors

Understanding the psychological and social benefits associated with university students’ use of campus green spaces is essential for promoting student well-being and enhancing the learning environment in higher education institutions. This study explored the key factors influencing students’ perceived mood elevation resulting from campus green space use. Adopting a quantitative approach and a correlational cross-sectional design, data were collected from 995 undergraduate students across four colleges in a public university through structured questionnaires and analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The analysis identified two major predictors of students’ perceived mood elevation: perceived social interaction improvement (PSII) and perceived stress alleviation (PSA). Specifically, PSII significantly predicted perceived mood elevation, perceived cognitive function enhancement (PCFE), and perceived stress alleviation, while PSA also significantly predicted both perceived cognitive function enhancement and perceived mood elevation. Notably, the model explained 40.9% of the variance in perceived mood elevation, with PSA emerging as the most important predictor and PSII demonstrating the strongest performance in predicting students’ mood elevation from campus green space use. Based on these findings, practical recommendations are proposed to promote university students’ use of campus green spaces to foster social interaction, alleviate stress, enhance cognitive functioning, and ultimately elevate their mood.