The effect of slight thinning of managed coniferous forest on landscape appreciation and psychological restoration

Takayama, Nobuki; Saito, Haruo; Fujiwara, Akio; Horiuchi, Masahiro

doi:10.1186/s40645-017-0129-6

Cited by 47 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Their results show that subjects in forest environments had a lower level of negative emotions (e.g., tension-anxiety, confusion, fatigue, depression) and a higher level of vigor than those in urban environments, demonstrating the psychological benefits of forests in mental health. Similar results were reported by Takayama et al, who found that subjects' tension-anxiety, depression-dejection, and confusion decreased after viewing forests [8]. Other than POMS, some studies have assessed the change in anxiety by using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) [9,10].…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 77%

The Effects of Forest Bathing on Stress Recovery: Evidence from Middle-Aged Females of Taiwan

Chen

Lee

2018

Forests

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Previous literature highlights the effects of forests on reviving psychological and physiological health. Given that middle-aged women are vulnerable to stress due to the transition in their lives, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of forest bathing on their stress recovery using a field experiment design. This study examined both psychological and physiological responses after a forest therapy program among a middle-aged female group. Sixteen middle-aged (46.88 ± 7.83 years) women were recruited for a two-day (one-night) forest therapy program in the Aowanda National Forest Recreation Area (Nantou, Taiwan). Psychological indices were measured by Profile of Mood States (POMS) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Physiological indicators included pulse rate, systolic or diastolic blood pressure, and salivary α-amylase. Both psychological and physiological measurements were collected before and after the program. The results showed that negative mood states (i.e., confusion, fatigue, anger-hostility, and tension) and anxiety levels were significantly reduced after visiting forests. In contrast, positive mood state (vigor) was improved after the program. Regarding the physiological responses, a significant decrease in systolic blood pressure response was found after the program. In sum, the two-day forest therapy program benefited to mental health and systolic blood pressure among the middle-aged female group.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 77%

The Effects of Forest Bathing on Stress Recovery: Evidence from Middle-Aged Females of Taiwan

Chen

Lee

2018

Forests

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“…It is therefore possible that the time period during which respondents were exposed to the stimulus was not exactly 15 min in length. It is worth mentioning, however, that the walks to the two analyzed environments were conducted through either the urban street environment or the forest (Figure 1), so only one environment was able to influence each group [46].…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Recreation in a Snow-Covered Forest Environment on the Psychological Wellbeing of Young Adults: Randomized Controlled Study

Bielinis

Łukowski

Omelan

et al. 2019

Forests

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Forest recreation can be successfully conducted for the purpose of psychological relaxation, as has been proven in previous scientific studies. During the winter in many countries, when snow cover occurs frequently, forest recreation (walking, relaxation, photography, etc.) is common. Nevertheless, whether forest therapy conducted in a forest environment with a snow cover will also have a positive effect on psychological indicators remains unknown. Furthermore, male subjects frequently participate in forest therapy experiments, whereas females are rarely involved. Thus, in this study, the effectuality of forest recreation during winter and with snow cover was tested on 32 young females. For these reasons, the experiment involved 15 min periods of relaxation in a forest environment or in an urban street environment, in addition to a pre-test under indoor conditions (randomized controlled study). Four psychological questionnaires Profile of Mood States (POMS), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), Restorative Outcome Scale (ROS), Subjective Vitality Scale (SVS)) were administered to participants before and after interventions. Results showed that participants’ levels of negative mood, as measured by different aspects of the POMS questionnaire (tension/anxiety, anger/hostility, depression/dejection, confusion, and fatigue), decreased after exposure to the forest environment. In contrast, both tension/anxiety and anger/hostility increased in the urban street environment. The indicator of negative affect from the PANAS questionnaire also increased after exposure to the urban street environment, whereas the indicator of positive affect based on PANAS was higher in the forest environment than in the urban street environment. Restorativeness and subjective vitality exhibited higher values after exposure to the forest environment in comparison to those from the control and pre-test. The changes in these indicators demonstrate that forest recreation in the snow during winter can significantly increase psychological relaxation in females, as well as show that recreation can be successfully conducted under these winter conditions.

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“…To balance the need to quickly perform the tests and the need to obtain reliable results, an optimal sample size was used. Previous research indicates that a sample size of 12-16 participants is sufficient to draw significant conclusions in forest therapy experiments [18,28], and thus the groups of 23 patients with psychotic disorders and 27 patients with affective disorders included in this study are large enough to provide valuable information.…”

Section: Participantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…If this is so, this activity could be helpful as an additional therapy in treating some mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression. Alternatively, staying in an environment not appropriate for forest therapy, such as a forest without a view and with a dense understory, could induce fear [28], which is not a desired effect. For this reason, it is unclear whether or not forest recreation will induce a therapeutic effect in mental hospital patients.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effects of a Forest Therapy Programme on Mental Hospital Patients with Affective and Psychotic Disorders

Bielinis

Jaroszewska

Łukowski

et al. 2019

IJERPH

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The positive effect of forest bathing on the mental health and wellbeing of those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or experiencing stress has been proven. It is not known, however, how 'forest therapy' affects the mental health of people who are treated in a psychiatric hospital for affective or psychotic disorders. Potentially, forest therapy could bring many benefits to these people. To test the potential effectiveness of this therapy, a quasi-experiment was carried out in a psychiatric hospital in Olsztyn (north Poland). In the summer and autumn of 2018, the patients of the psychiatric hospital in Olsztyn participated in forest therapy interventions. The proposed forest therapy consisted of participating in one hour and forty-five minutes walks under the supervision of a therapist. Subjects filled out the Profile of Mood States Questionnaire (POMS) and the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S) before and after the study. In the case of a group of patients with affective disorders, forest therapy had a positive effect on nearly all POMS scale subscales, with the exception of the 'anger-hostility' subscale, which did not change its values significantly after the intervention. In these patients, the greatest impacts were noted in the subscales 'confusion' and 'depression-dejection'; the level of anxiety measured with the STAI-S scale also significantly decreased. In the case of patients with psychotic disorders, the values of the 'confusion' and 'vigour' subscales and the STAI-S scale exhibited the greatest changes. These changes were positive for the health of patients. Regarding the 'fatigue' subscale, no significant changes were observed in patients with psychotic disorders. The observed changes in psychological indicators in psychiatric hospital patients with both kinds of disorders indicate that the intervention of forest therapy can positively affect their mental health. The changes observed in psychological indicators were related to the characteristics of the given disorder.

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The effect of slight thinning of managed coniferous forest on landscape appreciation and psychological restoration

Cited by 47 publications

References 46 publications

The Effects of Forest Bathing on Stress Recovery: Evidence from Middle-Aged Females of Taiwan

The Effects of Forest Bathing on Stress Recovery: Evidence from Middle-Aged Females of Taiwan

The Effect of Recreation in a Snow-Covered Forest Environment on the Psychological Wellbeing of Young Adults: Randomized Controlled Study

The Effects of a Forest Therapy Programme on Mental Hospital Patients with Affective and Psychotic Disorders

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