Reimagining Health Care and Social Connection with Asylum Seekers and Refugees through Contextually Grounded Nature-Based Social Interventions

Abstract

Nature-based social prescribing (NBSP) is gaining recognition as a means of addressing loneliness and fostering social connection, yet evidence of its effectiveness for socially marginalised groups remains limited. This explorative single-arm, pre-post study examined Friends in Nature (FiN), an eight-week NBSP program co-designed for and with 37 LGBTIQA+ asylum seekers and refugees in Melbourne. Participants were referred by a trusted partner organisation and engaged in shared and socially supported activities, including forest therapy, gardening, and coastal walks, among others. Evaluation methods included pre- and post-quantitative assessment of loneliness, quality of life, nature connecte..