The psychological mediations of green window view exposure on campus and freshman adaptation: a cross-sectional study in Nanjing, China

Campus green window views function as vital micro-scale urban forests for students, offering mental health benefits. However, the quantitative links between perceived green window view characteristics and the psychological adaptation of university freshmen, along with the underlying mediations, are not well established. This study examined these relationships by assessing three perceived green window view characteristics—Naturalness, Visual Scale, and Stewardship—from dormitories, classrooms, and libraries at Nanjing Forestry University’s Baima Campus. Data were collected from first-year freshmen via an online questionnaire, which measured perceived green window view exposure, student adaptation to college (SAC), perceived stress (PS), positive and negative affect (PAff/NAff), and sociodemographic factors. We employed Spearman’s correlation to analyze associations. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the mediating roles of perceived stress, positive affect, and negative affect. Results revealed that the dormitory visual scale (Dorm_VS) has a significant direct association with freshmen’s adaptation. Mediation analysis identified significant pathways: dormitory visual scale (Dorm_VS) could reduce negative affect (NAff); library visual scale (Lib_VS) could increase positive affect (PAff); and classroom stewardship (Cl_D) could lower both perceived stress (PS) and negative affect (NAff), which, in turn, was associated with student adaptation to college (SAC). Additionally, the classroom visual scale (Cl_VS) could exhibit a marginally significant ( p < 0.1) indirect association with freshmen’s adaptation by increasing positive affect (PAff). Meanwhile, the classroom stewardship (Cl_D) could also show a marginally significant ( p < 0.1) indirect association with freshmen’s adaptation by decreasing positive affect (PAff). In summary, the perceived green window view exposure in campus serves as a Nature-Based Solution (NbS), which reveals the core principle that the association of perceived greenery window views varies according to building function and is achieved through different psychological mediating pathways, by constructing a comprehensive model encompassing multiple buildings (dormitories, classrooms, libraries) and multiple perceived indicators (Naturalness, Visual Scale, Stewardship). These findings offer scientific insights for precision green space planning in sustainable campus and urban development.