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. 2022 Aug 10;19(16):9867.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19169867.

Impacts of Landscape Type, Viewing Distance, and Permeability on Anxiety, Depression, and Stress

Yun Shu  1   2 , Chengzhao Wu  1 , Yujia Zhai  1   3
Affiliations

Impacts of Landscape Type, Viewing Distance, and Permeability on Anxiety, Depression, and Stress

Yun Shu et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Contact with nature is beneficial for mental health, including anxiety and stress. Exposure to virtual nature also has similar restorative traits with real nature. However, previous studies on the restorative environment mostly focus on ordinary people while caring less about patients with depressive disorders. Thus, the restorative impacts of virtual nature on patients with depression warrant examination. This research aims to study the restorative effects of virtual reality (VR) landscape type, viewing distance, and permeability on anxiety, depression, and stress in patients with depression. Study A revealed that the perceived restorative level of landscape type varies greatly: grassland > forest > water > undergrowth > urban square. Additionally, natural environments with higher openness, more green elements, more blue sky, and more sunshine exposure had higher restorative levels on perceived depression, anxiety, and stress relief. Study B found that the grassland landscape with a higher viewing distance and a medium vegetation edge permeability provides more restorative impacts for patients with depression.

Keywords: anxiety; depression; edge permeability; landscape type; stress; viewing distance.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Representative photos for the six landscape categories.
Figure 1
Figure 1
Representative photos for the six landscape categories.
Figure 2
Figure 2
VR landscape scene design plans.
Figure 3
Figure 3
VR landscape scene renderings.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Participants were immersed in a virtual natural environment.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Impacts of different viewing distances on perceived preference, *: p < 0.05.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Optimal viewing distance and edge permeability of the grassland landscape.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Optimal viewing distance and edge permeability of the grassland landscape.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Impacts of different viewing distances on perceived anxiety, *: p < 0.05.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Impacts of different edge permeability levels on perceived anxiety, *: p < 0.05, **: p < 0.01.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Impacts of different viewing distances on perceived depression, ***: p < 0.001.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Impacts of different edge permeability levels on perceived depression, *: p < 0.05.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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