Abstract

Modern society is faced with increasing incidence of mental and behavioural disorders. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether visits to boreal forests can be utilised for rehabilitation from exhaustion disorder (ED). This randomised controlled trial comprised of a forest rehabilitation group (n = 35) and a waiting list group (control group) (n = 43) with subsequent cognitive behavioural rehabilitation (CBR) for all participants in both groups. The recovery from ED was compared between the forest rehabilitation and the control group at baseline, after the forest rehabilitation (3 months), and at the end of the CBR (1 year). Both groups had enhanced recovery from ED after the 3-month intervention period and at the end of the CBR (1 year), and there were no significant differences between the groups in terms of psychological health measures. Mental state, attention capacity and preferences for different forest environments were studied during the forest visits. Mental state was improved, but it showed some seasonal differences. A significant effect on attention capacity was found for single forest visits, but there was no effect found for the rehabilitation period as a whole. The most popular forest environments contained easily accessible, open and bright settings with visible water and/or shelter. Forest rehabilitation did not enhance the recovery from ED compared to the control group, but the participants' well-being was improved after single forest visits.

Keywords

burnout; human health; mental disorder; nature-assisted therapy; rehabilitation; restoration; urban forestry

Published in

Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research
2015, Volume: 30, number: 8, pages: 732-748

SLU Authors

• Dolling, Ann

  • Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Lundell, Ylva

  • Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG3 Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages


UKÄ Subject classification

Forest Science


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02827581.2015.1046482

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/68483