Comparative Study of the Restorative Effects of Forest and Urban Videos during COVID-19 Lockdown: Intrinsic and Benchmark Values

Abstract

The prolonged lockdown imposed to contain the COrona VIrus Disease 19 COVID-19 pandemic prevented many people from direct contact with nature and greenspaces, raising alarms for a possible worsening of mental health. This study investigated the effectiveness of a simple and affordable remedy for improving psychological well-being, based on audio-visual stimuli brought by a short computer video showing forest environments, with an urban video as a control. Randomly selected participants were assigned the forest or urban video, to look at and listen to early in the morning, and questionnaires to fill out. In particular, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) Form Y collected in baseline condition and at the end of the study and the Part II of the Sheehan Patient Rated Anxiety Scale (SPRAS) collected every day immediately before and after watching the video. The virtual exposure to forest environments showed effective to reduce perceived anxiety levels in people forced by lockdown in limited spaces and environmental deprivation. Although significant, the effects were observed only in the short term, highlighting the limitation of the virtual experiences. The reported effects might also represent a benchmark to disentangle the determinants of health effects due to real forest experiences, for example, the inhalation of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOC).

The Influence of the Urban Environment on Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Focus on Air Pollution and Migration—A Narrative Review

“…Additionally, the presence of green spaces in living environments demonstrated a link with a reduction of perceived stress. This could be in part confirmed by the evidence that interventions based on video-audio stimuli reduced anxiety levels in subjects undergoing lockdown and quarantine measures, with a higher efficacy when forest environments were displayed [ 61 ]. In addition, the access to green spaces was reported as a crucial need during the pandemic, also connected with the possibility for physical exercise and relaxation.…”

The Impact of Social Support on Public Anxiety amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic in China

“…Thus, the psychological state of the public amidst the COVID-19 pandemic should be paid sufficient attention by decision-makers, researchers, and social media [24]. During such a crisis, the psychological health of society is arguably a major concern [25,26], and the implementation of mental health evaluation and support are priority goals for dealing with mental health consequences of COVID-19 [24].…”

The perception of the forest in forestry students: a survey at the University of Florence

“…Un ulteriore aspetto poco sviluppato riguarda le modalità dell'esposizione e della visita agli ambienti forestali (ad esempio, durata, attività svolte, stagione scelta). Una ricerca condotta contestualmente all'emergenza sanitaria da SARS-CoV-2, situazione in cui la frequentazione dei boschi si è resa impossibile ai più, ha provato ad affrontare alcuni punti specifici delle relazioni fra caratteristiche delle foreste ed effetti sul benessere (Zabini et al 2020). I ricercatori hanno coinvolto 100 volontari italiani nella fase conclusiva del primo lockdown, alla fine di aprile e prima della riapertura del 4 maggio 2020.…”

“…I ricercatori hanno coinvolto 100 volontari italiani nella fase conclusiva del primo lockdown, alla fine di aprile e prima della riapertura del 4 maggio 2020. Ai partecipanti, divisi in due gruppi, è stato chiesto di guardare, ogni mattina per cinque giorni un video tematico; mentre i componenti del primo gruppo hanno osservato riprese di ambienti forestali, ai partecipanti del secondo gruppo è stato chiesto di osservare un filmato ambientato in contesti urbani (Zabini et al 2020). Tutti i giorni i volontari hanno risposto a questionari standard utilizzati in ambito psicologico per valutare il loro stato di ansia e in particolare le manifestazioni fisiologiche associate, quali battito cardiaco accelerato e respirazione affannosa.…”