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Conference paper2015Peer reviewed

Nature-Based Rehabilitation in Peri-Urban Areas for People with Stress-Related Illnesses - a Controlled Prospective Study

Palsdottir, A. M.; Wissler, S. K.; Nilsson, K.; Petersson, I. F.; Grahn, P.

Abstract

This study was conducted as a controlled prospective study of an eight-week nature-based rehabilitation (NBR) for individuals with stress-related mental illnesses. This was an effort to find new means of rehabilitation for a group of clients proving difficult to rehabilitate with treatment as usual. The study was carried out as a joint effort between primary health care centres in Skåne (Region Skåne), the Social Insurance Agency, the Public Employment Services, the Farmers Union and several agricultural businesses. This work is a new approach to rehabilitation within primary health care in Sweden. Ten agricultural businesses offered the NBR programme, and 50 primary health care centres remitted 150 participants to the study. The primary end point was return to work or studies; other measurements included coping and functioning in everyday life and symptoms of ill health. The intervention study ran from August 2012 to December 2013, and the last one-year follow-up collection of data will be performed in June 2014.

Keywords

animal-assisted therapy; horticultural therapy; ecotherapy; Alnarp Rehabilitation Garden

Published in

Acta Horticulturae
2015, volume: 45, number: 1093, pages: 31-35
Title: XI International People Plant Symposium on Diversity: Towards a New Vision of Nature
ISBN: 978-94-62610-86-6, eISBN: 978-94-62610-86-6
Publisher: ISHS

Conference

11th International People Plant Symposium on Diversity - Towards a New Vision of Nature, SEP 06-08, 2012, Venlo, NETHERLANDS