Objectives Women experience more stress in middle age than in other periods of their lives. Therefore, health management programs that enable middle-aged women to cope with and manage stress are needed. This study investigated the psychological effects of a meditation-focused forest therapy program among 53 middle-aged women living in urban areas in Korea.
Methods Participants were divided into 2 groups: one group underwent the program for 3 days in a forest, followed by 3 days in an urban environment, and the other group underwent the program for 3 days in the urban environment, followed by 3 days in the forest. The psychological effects of the forest therapy program were evaluated using the Profile of Mood States-Brief (POMS-B). Differences in mood state before and after the program conducted in the forest (experimental group) and in the urban environment (control group) were evaluated using the paired-samples t-test.
Results The program in the forest significantly reduced tension, depression, anger, fatigue, and confusion among the domains of the POMS-B. The program in the urban area significantly reduced tension, but not depression, anger, fatigue, or confusion.
Conclusions Meditation-focused forest therapy programs are expected to contribute to promoting psychological health and enhancing the quality of life of middle-aged women.
Summary
Korean summary
중년 여성이 건강을 관리할 수 있는 프로그램이 필요하다. 이 연구는 명상 중심의 산림치유 프로그램이 중년 여성의 심리적 건강 증진에 효과적인지 검증하기 위해 프로그램 시행 전후에 참가자의 기분상태(POMS-B)를 측정하여 비교하였다. 결과에 의하면 긴장, 우울, 분노, 피곤, 혼돈이 통계적으로 유의하게 감소하였다.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
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Supporting Wellness, Resilience, and Community With Forest Therapy Susan A Abookire, Sujata G Ayala, Nancy A Shadick Global Advances in Integrative Medicine and Health.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
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The Impact of Forest Therapy Programs on Stress Reduction: A Systematic Review Yawei Zhang, Lu Feng, Wenjie Duan Forests.2023; 14(9): 1851. CrossRef