Psychological benefits of Forest Bathing during the COVID-19 pandemic: a pilot study in a Mediterranean forest close to urban areas

Muro, Anna; Feliu‐Soler, Albert; Canals, Josep; Parrado, Eva; Sanz, Antoni

doi:10.1080/13416979.2021.1996516

Cited by 32 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Results show significant increases in positive affect, vigour, friendship, and mindfulness, and decreases in negative affect, anxiety, anger, fatigue, tension, and depressive mood. Effect sizes observed for all the outcomes were significant and large, ranging from d = 1.02 to d = 2.61 [74].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Forest Recreational Services in the Face of COVID-19 Pandemic Stress

Bamwesigye

Fialová

Kupec

et al. 2021

Land

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Forest ecosystems provide numerous services and benefits to both humans and biodiversity. Similarly, urban forests services play a vital role by providing urban dwellers with recreational and leisure space, mental health relief, and meditation. In the wake of the COVID-19 epidemic, many people living in the urban areas could benefit from the forest and park recreational services to relieve psychological stress due to lockdown rules. The study examined existing literature simultaneously; however, very few studies have presented the relationships between forest services’ role on COVID-19 stress relief. Furthermore, we examined forest visitors’ frequency at the Training Forest Enterprise (TFE) Masaryk Forest Křtiny in the outskirts of Brno City in the Czech Republic. The study collected data using a TRAFx infrared trail counter before the pandemic (2015–2018) and during the COVID-19 period (2021). As in other studies of the subject, we observed an increasing trend in forest visits during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2021, compared to the same months before the pandemic in 2016 and 2017. We recommend further research to focus on scientific analysis of the relationship between forest ecosystem services and COVID-19 stress and mental health. Moreover, given the spike in visitors during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2021 in March and April, our data provide evidence regarding the role of nature for relieving stress and supporting mental and physical health. Policy, decision-makers and medical advisors could use such data and study to guide future lockdowns and pandemic situations regarding nature and forest recreational use and importance.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Forest Recreational Services in the Face of COVID-19 Pandemic Stress

Bamwesigye

Fialová

Kupec

et al. 2021

Land

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A review detailing the correlation between nature, mindfulness, and well-being [ 28 ] suggests that during uncertain events, such as COVID-19, forest bathing may be especially important for at-risk groups, such as those experiencing depression and social isolation. In the first published study of the effects of forest bathing on mental health during the pandemic, Muro [ 29 ] found increases in positive affect, vigour, friendship, and mindfulness, and decreases in negative affect, anxiety, anger, fatigue, tension, and depressive mood. There is further evidence that during the pandemic, self-guided forest bathing reduced stress, anxiety, and depression [ 30 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Feasibility and Impact of Practising Online Forest Bathing to Improve Anxiety, Rumination, Social Connection and Long-COVID Symptoms: A Pilot Study

McEwan

Collett²,

Nairn³

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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Background: Long-COVID affects over 144 million people globally. In the absence of treatments, there is a need to establish the efficacy of therapies that improve patient outcomes. Forest bathing has been demonstrated to improve physical and mental outcomes but there is no evidence in Long-COVID patients. Accordingly, this pilot study sought to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of online forest bathing in adults with Long-COVID. Methods: Feasibility was assessed by monitoring retention rates and participant feedback. In a waitlist controlled, repeated measures design, 22 Long-COVID patients completed weekly online surveys during a four-week waitlist control period, before engaging in four weekly online forest bathing sessions, completing post-intervention surveys following each session. Results: In terms of retention, 27% did not provide post-intervention data, reasons for non-adherence were: feeling too ill, having medical appointments, or having career responsibilities. Compared with the waitlist control period, there were statistically significant improvements in Anxiety (49% decrease), Rumination (48% decrease), Social Connection (78% increase), and Long-COVID symptoms (22% decrease). Written qualitative comments indicated that participants experienced feelings of calm and joy, felt more connected socially and with nature, and experienced a break from the pain and rumination surrounding their illness. Conclusions: Online Forest bathing resulted in significant improvements in well-being and symptom severity and could be considered an accessible and inexpensive adjunct therapy for Long-COVID patients. Where people have limited access to in-person nature, virtual nature may offer an alternative to improve health and well-being outcomes.

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“…The second group, defined as "Individualists with cultural and health interests, " highlighted a marked interest in the wellbeing of the individual resulting from conducting activities in the forest. Several authors in the literature, in fact, highlighted the multiple physical and psychological benefits derived from forest recreation, such as stress reduction, immune system strengthening, and pressure reduction (Bielinis et al, 2019;Kotera et al, 2022;Muro et al, 2022;Roviello and Roviello, 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Civil society’s perception of forest ecosystem services. A case study in the Western Alps

et al. 2022

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Forest Ecosystem Services (FES) are widely recognised by the society nowadays. However, no study in the literature has analysed a ranking of FES after the pandemic. This paper investigated civil society’s perception and knowledge toward these services; in addition, the presence of attitudinal or behavioural patterns regarding individual’s preference, was assessed. A choice experiment was conducted using the Best-Worst Scaling (BWS) method on a sample of 479 individuals intercepted in the Argentera Valley, in the Western Italian Alps. Results, showed a strong interest in biodiversity, aesthetic landscape quality and psychophysical health and a lower interest in provisioning services. Based on the individual preferences, civil society was clustered into five groups for FES, named “Hedonistic,” “Individualist with cultural and health interests,” “Sensitive to regulatory and utilitarian functions,” “Climate change sensitive” and “Livelihood and hedonistic wellbeing.” In general, there was a growing appreciation by civil society for the intangible services offered by the forest, driven by modern lifestyles and an interest in learning more about the provided services. Based on these elements, we believe that similar research should be extended to other mountain contexts to validate the results or to find new insights, and that it is now necessary to study how to involve civil society in decision-making processes of forest planning and management at a local level.

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Psychological benefits of Forest Bathing during the COVID-19 pandemic: a pilot study in a Mediterranean forest close to urban areas

Cited by 32 publications

References 37 publications

Forest Recreational Services in the Face of COVID-19 Pandemic Stress

Forest Recreational Services in the Face of COVID-19 Pandemic Stress

The Feasibility and Impact of Practising Online Forest Bathing to Improve Anxiety, Rumination, Social Connection and Long-COVID Symptoms: A Pilot Study

Civil society’s perception of forest ecosystem services. A case study in the Western Alps

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