Bibliometric Analysis of Nature-Based Therapy Research

Abstract

Unrestrained urbanisation and natural space loss are reducing contact with nature in today’s society, producing negative consequences for people’s mental and physical health and wellbeing. Nature-based therapies, such as physical activity in natural settings, forest bathing, therapeutic hiking, or experiential learning, reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms and improve the quality of life in both general and specific populations. A bibliometric analysis of research on nature-based therapies was performed by applying the traditional laws of bibliometrics (exponential growth law, Bradford’s concentration law, Lotka’s law, Zipf’s law, etc.) to documents published in journals indexed in the Core Collection of the Web of Science (WoS). Graphical visualisation was performed using the VOSviewer software. Annual publications between 2006 and 2021 presented an exponential growth trend (R2 = 91%). The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (MDPI) and Urban Forestry & Urban Greening (Elsevier) were the most productive and cited journals. Ikei, Miyazaki, and Song are the most cited prolific authors. The USA and South Korea were the countries with the highest scientific production. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in adventure, nature, and forest therapies among researchers. Nature-based therapies have experienced a growing interest in recent years. Positive effects on mental, physical, and emotional health have been found in different populations and research lines, although more studies with different designs and populations are needed.

Addressing ethical issues in outdoor health practice: a scoping review

“…The arrival of a collective, interconnected Australian OH sector has been preceded by more than three decades of research investigating the therapeutic benefits of various outdoor-and nature-based approaches for participants (Bowen & Neill, 2013;Carpenter, 2008;Cianchi, 1991;Itin, 1998;Neill, 2003;Nicholls, 2008;Pryor, 2009). While academic scholarship in this sector has evolved mainly from a starting point that privileged maledominated, North American and Eurocentric histories of Outdoor and Adventure Therapy (Mitten, 2020), recent years have seen an exponential growth in research literature (Rodríguez-Redondo et al, 2023). Internationally, there is increasing interest in and exploration of the therapeutic benefits of nature connection to improve health and wellbeing and promote healthy communities (Andersen et al, 2021;Chen, 2019;Jones et al, 2021;Robinson et al, 2020;Yessoufou et al, 2020).…”

Quantifying Nature: Introducing NatureScoreTM and NatureDoseTM as Health Analysis and Promotion Tools

“…[23][24][25] In response to growing concerns about this radical shift, scientists worldwide have studied how nature exposure is associated with human health. [26][27][28][29][30][31] The links between declining nature exposure and increasing depression, anxiety, heart disease, and premature mortality are increasingly clear. 26,32 A large and growing body of scientific literature demonstrates that exposure to nature, broadly encompassing green spaces, trees, parks, water bodies, deserts, wilderness areas, wildlife, and more, 30,33 is associated with measurable and meaningful benefits to dozens of facets of psychological and physical health.…”