Nature-Based Therapy in Individuals with Mental Health Disorders, with a Focus on Mental Well-Being and Connectedness to Nature—A Pilot Study

Sammanfattning

In times of social and ecological crises, such as COVID-19 with lockdowns and implementing the impact of climate change, mental health degrades. Being outdoors in nature can be health-promoting, can decrease depression, and increase mental well-being. This pilot study investigated the relationships between nature-based therapy, mental health, and individuals’ connectedness to nature. We hypothesize that nature-based therapy has a positive impact on individual mental health and connectedness to nature. A mixed-method approach was used to evaluate the effectiveness of nature-based therapy for young psychosomatic patients. The results demonstrated improvements in mental well-being and connectedness to nature through therapy. Additionally, depression scores decreased. Patients reported the importance of the therapist setting the space, the supportive environment, the poems that fostered the nature connection, improvement at the soul level, and overall doing something meaningful. Every patient experienced nature-based therapy as effective. To conclude, the study gives a first insight into the processes of nature-based therapy in the German population at work and the effectiveness of nature-based therapy. Further questions, e.g., season effects, longitudinal effects, and whether patients with low connectedness to nature gain more out of the intervention remain unanswered.

Nyckelord

garden therapy; psychosomatic patients; young adults; depression; stational care at hospital; effectiveness

Publicerad i

International journal of environmental research and public health
2023, volym: 20, nummer: 3, artikelnummer: 2167

SLU författare

• Joschko, Lilly

  • Institutionen för människa och samhälle, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    

• Palsdottir, Anna Maria

  • Institutionen för människa och samhälle, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    

• Grahn, Patrik

  • Institutionen för människa och samhälle, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    

Associerade SLU-program

Bebyggd miljö
SLU Urban Futures
Naturupplevelser och hälsa

Globala målen (SDG)

SDG3 God hälsa och välbefinnande
SDG11 Hållbara städer och samhällen

UKÄ forskningsämne

Landskapsarkitektur
Tillämpad psykologi
Arbetsterapi

Publikationens identifierare

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032167

Permanent länk till denna sida (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/121090