A research opportunity: What do blue spaces do for you?

Do you find that being close to the sea, or near to a river or a lake, can help your mental health and wellbeing?

Do you have stories or memories of accessing blue spaces that you’re willing to share?

We are a team of researchers and people with lived experience of mental ill-health – and, if you meet the criteria below, we’d like to talk to you!

We are looking for people who:

• Are aged 18 or over and live in the UK;
• Have a diagnosis (or have experienced the symptoms) of bipolar or schizophrenia, or have experience of psychosis;
• Find, or have previously found, blue spaces helpful as a part of their recovery or mental wellbeing; and
• Can participate in a discussion lasting up to 90 minutes (this can be broken into two or more sessions) by telephone or Zoom.

We’d like to understand more about how accessing blue spaces can help people who experience, or have experienced, mental ill-health. We’d also like to know what helps or hinders them to access these spaces.

How to take part

Does that sound interesting? We’re looking for 20 volunteers – and we’ll pay £20 for each completed interview.

For further information or to have an initial chat, please contact:

Samantha Eden
Mood Disorders Centre,
School of Psychology,
University of Exeter,
Exeter, EX4 4QG

Email: S.Eden@exeter.ac.uk
Phone: 01392 724 595     

About our research project

The chief investigator on this study is Dr Kim Wright.

Her contact details are:

Mood Disorders Centre,
School of Psychology,
University of Exeter,
Exeter, EX4 4QG

Email: K.A.Wright@exeter.ac.uk
Phone: 01392 725 227

This project has ethical approval from the Psychology Research Ethics Committee, University of Exeter (eCLESPsy001492).

The study is funded by the U.K. Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Closing The Gap scheme, which is administered by the University of York.