Gardening as a mental health intervention: a review

Abstract

Purpose -The number of gardening-based mental health interventions is increasing, yet when the literature was last reviewed in 2003, limited evidence of their effectiveness was identified. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the current evidence-base for gardening-based mental health interventions and projects through examining their reported benefits and the quality of research in this field. Design/methodology/approach -Studies evaluating the benefits of gardening-based interventions for adults experiencing mental health difficulties were identified through an electronic database search. Information on the content and theoretical foundations of the interventions, the identified benefits of the interventions and the study methodology was extracted and synthesised. Findings -Ten papers published since 2003 met the inclusion criteria. All reported positive effects of gardening as a mental health intervention for service users, including reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety. Participants described a range of benefits across emotional, social, vocational, physical and spiritual domains. Overall the research was of a considerably higher quality than that reviewed in 2003, providing more convincing evidence in support of gardening-based interventions. However, none of the studies employed a randomised-controlled trial design. Research limitations/implications -There is a need for further high-quality research in this field. It is important that adequate outcome measures are in place to evaluate existing gardening-based mental health interventions/projects effectively. Originality/value -This paper provides an up-to-date critique of the evidence for gardening-based mental health interventions, highlighting their potential clinical value.

Non-clinical community interventions: a systematised review of social prescribing schemes

“…themes to emerge were "a space of one's own, meaningful activity, increased feelings of connectedness and improved physical and mental health" (Webber, Hinds, & Camic, 2015, p. 20). A review of studies on gardening as a mental health intervention found benefits across emotional, social, vocational, physical and spiritual domains (Clatworthy, Hinds, & Camic, 2013). A national UK review demonstrated that green gyms had the greatest impact on participants with the lowest physical health on joining who were nine times more likely to improve whereas those with the lowest mental health were three times more likely to improve (Yerrell, 2008).…”

Mental health rehabilitation in a care farm context: A descriptive review of Norwegian intervention studies

“…The four intervention studies described above had a particular focus on either animal-assisted or therapeutic horticulture interventions, since previous research indicates the mental health benefits of these kind of interventions [56][57][58]. Even though nature experiences and activity connected to animals and/or horticulture are important at care farms, the studies do not examine all components of the care farm context, as care farming programs in Norway are complex in nature.…”

Gardening for Therapeutic People-Plant Interactions during Long-Duration Space Missions

“…The majority of the literature on gardening and horticultural therapy is observational and subjective, and does little to advance understanding of the mechanisms for the therapeutic benefits of gardening. However, a growing number of quantitative studies involving diverse populations and a host of different gardening and horticultural activities have, in general, reported improvements in mental health status of study subjects (Clatworthy et al, 2013). More specifically, studies have reported reductions in anxiety (Lee et al, 2004;Kam and Siu, 2010;Gonzalez et al, 2011b), depression (Gonzalez et al, 2011a;Wilson and Christensen, 2011), negative mood state (Wichrowski et al, 2005;Kam and Siu, 2010;Van Den Berg and Custers, 2011), and perceived stress (Kam and Siu, 2010;Yun and Choi, 2010;Kotozaki et al 2015).…”

“…Therefore, space farming or gardening may offer a treatment modality that reduces the decline of crew mental health and well-being. A rigorous critical assessment of the evidence-based research on gardening as a mental health intervention was conducted by Clatworthy and colleagues for the years 2003-2013 (Clatworthy et al, 2013). From a list of 156 references produced by systematic search, just ten studies met four standards: 1, providing an empirical evaluation of an intervention involving active gardening; 2, adult participants experiencing functional mental health difficulties; 3, published in a peer-reviewed journal; and 4, written in English (Son et al, 2004;Stepney and Davis, 2004;Parr, 2007;Rappe et al, 2008;Gonzalez et al, 2009;2011a;Kam and Siu, 2010;Parkinson et al, 2011).…”