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. 2022 Sep;55(5):492-497.
doi: 10.3961/jpmph.22.086. Epub 2022 Sep 20.

Effects of Forest Therapy on Psychological Improvement in Middle-aged Women in Korea

Bum-Jin Park  1 , Won-Sop Shin  2 , Chang-Seob Shin  2 , Poung-Sik Yeon  2 , Chung-Yeub Chung  3 , Si-Hyung Lee  4 , Dong-Jun Kim  2 , Youn-Hee Kim  5 , Chang-Eun Park  6
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Effects of Forest Therapy on Psychological Improvement in Middle-aged Women in Korea

Bum-Jin Park et al. J Prev Med Public Health. 2022 Sep.

Abstract

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.

Keywords: Forest therapy; Middle-aged women; Mood state; Psychological improvement; Stress.

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Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The authors have no conflicts of interest associated with the material presented in this paper.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Design of the experiment.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Comparison of the outcomes: domains (A: tension, B: depression, C: anger, D: vigor, E: fatigue, and F: confusion) of the Profile of Mood States-Brief (POMS-B). *p<0.05.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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