The Wildman Programme-Experiences from a first implementation of a nature-based intervention designed for men with stress and chronic illnesses

Sammanfattning

Background and purpose: In Denmark attractive rehabilitation offers for men are lacking. Consequently, more men than women say no to participate in and more often drop out of rehabilitation programs. Therefore, a naturebased rehabilitation program called the 'Wildman Programme' has been designed to men. The 'Wildman Programme' combines nature experiences, body awareness training, mind relaxation, and supporting community spirit. The method is called Nature-Body-Mind-Community (NBMC). The aim of this study was to assess the implementability and effect of the 'Wildman Programme' on the participants' quality of life and symptoms of stress.Materials and methods: The 'Wildman Programme' was explored as a quasi-experimental study. The study included 20 men with psychological stress and diminished quality of life due to mental health challenges and chronic illnesses. The primary outcome was quality of life and the secondary outcome was stress level. All outcomes were measured at baseline (T1) and at the end of the 'Wildman Programme' (T2).Results: The study showed the 'Wildman Programme' has potential to reduce stress symptoms (15.40%) and enhance quality of life (10.07%) among the male participants. Furthermore, physical health (13.92%) and psychological health (16.88%) in relation to quality of life increased during the program.Conclusion: The study showed that the 'Wildman Programme' is implementable in a Danish healthcare center. It was well received by the health professionals and the method was in demand by the target group of men. However, a larger study should be conducted to further investigate the findings of this study.

Nyckelord

Chronic illnesses; Men; Mental health; Nature-based intervention; Stress; Supportive environment theory (SET)

Publicerad i

Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice
2022, volym: 46, artikelnummer: 101535

SLU författare

• Grahn, Patrik

  • Institutionen för människa och samhälle, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    

Associerade SLU-program

Bebyggd miljö
SLU Future One Health
SLU Urban Futures
Naturupplevelser och hälsa

Globala målen (SDG)

SDG3 God hälsa och välbefinnande
SDG11 Hållbara städer och samhällen

UKÄ forskningsämne

Folkhälsovetenskap, global hälsa, socialmedicin och epidemiologi
Arbetsterapi
Landskapsarkitektur

Publikationens identifierare

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2022.101535

Permanent länk till denna sida (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/115802