Nature-Based Therapy in Individuals with Mental Health Disorders, with a Focus on Mental Well-Being and Connectedness to Nature—A Pilot Study

Lilly Joschko, Anna María Pálsdóttir, Patrik Grahn and Maximilian Hinse ()
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Lilly Joschko: Department of People and Society, The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 234 22 Lomma, Sweden
Anna María Pálsdóttir: Department of People and Society, The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 234 22 Lomma, Sweden
Patrik Grahn: Department of People and Society, The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 234 22 Lomma, Sweden
Maximilian Hinse: Institute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 3, 1-24

Abstract: In times of social and ecological crises, such as COVID-19 with lockdowns and implementing the impact of climate change, mental health degrades. Being outdoors in nature can be health-promoting, can decrease depression, and increase mental well-being. This pilot study investigated the relationships between nature-based therapy, mental health, and individuals’ connectedness to nature. We hypothesize that nature-based therapy has a positive impact on individual mental health and connectedness to nature. A mixed-method approach was used to evaluate the effectiveness of nature-based therapy for young psychosomatic patients. The results demonstrated improvements in mental well-being and connectedness to nature through therapy. Additionally, depression scores decreased. Patients reported the importance of the therapist setting the space, the supportive environment, the poems that fostered the nature connection, improvement at the soul level, and overall doing something meaningful. Every patient experienced nature-based therapy as effective. To conclude, the study gives a first insight into the processes of nature-based therapy in the German population at work and the effectiveness of nature-based therapy. Further questions, e.g., season effects, longitudinal effects, and whether patients with low connectedness to nature gain more out of the intervention remain unanswered.

Keywords: garden therapy; psychosomatic patients; young adults; depression; stational care at hospital; effectiveness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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