Environment-Behaviour Inquiry and Children’s Mental Health: A Pilot Study of Observations in Video Recordings

Knowledge of how environmental parameters intersect with daily living is limited for children with mental health disorders. Additional challenges are partly tied to studies mostly drawing from quantitative measures, which further restrict the understanding of the place-making practices of these children. This chapter builds on a 2015 study that used video recordings to quantitatively unravel how children with obsessive-compulsive disorder relate to everyday interior elements, including a table and a sink. Through an observation lens, the 2023 pilot study sheds light on how videos can cultivate empathy and uncover behaviours that could remain hidden through conventional methods. A broader understanding of potential forms of over- and under-engagement with the built environment challenges how mental health is understood and studied.