Lundell, Ylva
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Research article2011Peer reviewed
Can the boreal forest be used for rehabilitation and recovery from stress-related exhaustion? A pilot study
Sonntag-Öström, Elisabet; Nordin, Maria; Slunga Järvholm, Lisbeth; Lundell, Ylva; Brännström, Rigmor; Dolling, Ann
Abstract
It has been suggested that humans suffering from mental exhaustion recover better in environments that do not demand directed attention. Hence, we hypothesized that forests have restorative effects and examined whether the boreal forest in northern Sweden can be used for rehabilitation from stress-related exhaustion in a pilot study. Six participants suffering from stress-related exhaustion were offered visits twice a week, for 11 weeks, in six different forest settings: pine forest, mixed forest, spruce forest, forest by the lake, the forest with a small stream and rock outcrops. The participants chose one forest setting prior to each visit, and the mental state of each participant was evaluated before and after each visit. Interviews focusing on the experience of the forest were conducted after the 22 visits. Solitude and forest settings with light were identified as positive factors for recovery. Despite the limited amount of data, the results showed that the forest visits had significant positive effects on the participants' mental state. The interviews also indicated that the concept is suitable for use in larger randomized studies and that it is important to provide various forest settings to meet individual preferences of the participants and to offer the possibility of solitude.
Keywords
Attention; burnout; environment; human health; nature; restoration; well-being
Published in
Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research
2011, volume: 26, number: 3, pages: 245-256
Publisher: TAYLOR & FRANCIS AS
SLU Authors
Dolling, Ann
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Associated SLU-program
Nature experiences and health
Global goals (SDG)
SDG3 Good health and well-being
SDG15 Life on land
UKÄ Subject classification
Environmental Health and Occupational Health
Publication identifier
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02827581.2011.558521
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/57656