Green Walls, Emotional Well-Being, and Women’s Positive Body Image: Evidence from a Multicultural University Campus

Author(s): Diana Saadi

Background: Exposure to urban green environments is consistently associated with improved emotional well-being and psychological restoration. However, limited evidence exists on whether micro-scale greening interventions such as green walls yield comparable benefits across social groups within shared institutional environments. Drawing on environmental justice perspectives, this study examines whether exposure to a campus-based green wall differentially influences women’s emotional well-being and state positive body image (SPBI) across ethnic groups. Methods: We conducted a within-subject quasi-experimental field study among Jewish and Arab female students at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Participants were exposed to two campus conditions: a vegetated green wall and a visually comparable non-vegetated gray wall. Outcomes included positive affect (PANAS) and SPBI (SBAS-2). We estimated condition effects using linear mixed-effects models and tested ethnic differences via exposure-by-ethnicity interaction terms. Moderated mediation models assessed whether positive affect mediated the association between green wall exposure and SPBI and whether the indirect effect varied by ethnicity. Results: Green wall exposure was associated with higher positive affect and SPBI among women overall. The magnitude of these effects was substantially stronger among Arab women than Jewish women, as indicated by significant exposure-by-ethnicity interactions. Positive affect partially mediated the association between green wall exposure and SPBI, with a larger proportion of the effect mediated among Arab women, consistent with stronger affective responsiveness to green exposure. Conclusions: Campus green walls may function as equity-relevant restorative features, disproportionately benefiting women from environmentally disadvantaged backgrounds. These findings highlight the importance of equity-oriented design in academic environments and support the integration of micro-scale greening interventions into campus well-being and inclusion strategies.