Abstract This article explores the relationship between contact with nature in childhood and adult personality. An international sample of 783 participants from 42 countries reported on their frequency of contact with specific natural environments in childhood and adulthood, and completed measures of adult personality and socio-demographic details. Multivariate regression, canonical correlations, and least-squares path analyses were employed to identify relationships between variables. Contact with nature in childhood predicted higher Openness and lower Neuroticism. In particular, more frequent contact with forest environments in childhood was correlated with facets of Openness (Creative Imagination, Intellectual Curiosity) and Neuroticism (Anxiety, Depression). Mediation analyses indicated that engaging in contact with nature in childhood may represent a learned emotional regulation strategy that results in lower Neuroticism when continued in adulthood, while natural environments may be an ideal environment for creative play in childhood that predicts higher Openness in adulthood. This study makes a contribution to the field by describing the impact, and possible mechanisms, of contact with natural environments in childhood on adult interpersonal behaviours, which may assist in the design of environments that are best suited for restoration and play.

中文翻译：

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探索童年与自然接触对成人人格的影响

摘要 本文探讨了童年时期与自然的接触与成人人格之间的关系。来自 42 个国家的 783 名参与者的国际样本报告了他们在童年和成年期与特定自然环境接触的频率，并完成了对成人个性和社会人口统计细节的测量。采用多元回归、典型相关和最小二乘路径分析来确定变量之间的关系。童年时期与大自然的接触预示着更高的开放性和更低的神经质。特别是，童年时期更频繁地接触森林环境与开放性（创造性想象力、智力好奇心）和神经质（焦虑、抑郁）的各个方面相关。中介分析表明，童年时期与自然接触可能代表一种习得的情绪调节策略，在成年期持续时会导致较低的神经质，而自然环境可能是童年时期创造性游戏的理想环境，预示着成年期的开放性更高。这项研究通过描述童年时期与自然环境接触对成人人际行为的影响和可能的机制，为该领域做出了贡献，这可能有助于设计最适合恢复和玩耍的环境。