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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2022 Nov 19;19(22):15322.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph192215322.

Spending Time in the Forest or the Field: Investigations on Stress Perception and Psychological Well-Being-A Randomized Cross-Over Trial in Highly Sensitive Persons

Katja Oomen-Welke  1 , Evelyn Schlachter  1 , Tina Hilbich  1 , Johannes Naumann  2 , Alexander Müller  1 , Thilo Hinterberger  3 , Roman Huber  1
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Spending Time in the Forest or the Field: Investigations on Stress Perception and Psychological Well-Being-A Randomized Cross-Over Trial in Highly Sensitive Persons

Katja Oomen-Welke et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Research suggests that stays in a forest promote relaxation and reduce stress compared to spending time in a city. The aim of this study was to compare stays in a forest with another natural environment, a cultivated field. Healthy, highly sensitive persons (HSP, SV12 score > 18) aged between 18 and 70 years spent one hour in the forest and in the field at intervals of one week. The primary outcome was measured using the Change in Subjective Self-Perception (CSP-14) questionnaire. Secondary outcomes were measured using the Profile Of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire and by analyzing salivary cortisol. We randomized 43 participants. Thirty-nine were allocated and included in the intention-to-treat analysis (90% female, mean age 45 years). CSP-14 in part showed significant differences-total score (p = 0.054, Cohen's d = 0.319), item "integration" (p = 0.028, Cohen's d = 0.365)-favoring the effects of the forest. These effects were more pronounced in summer (August). In October, during rainfall, we detected no relevant differences. POMS only showed a significant difference in the subcategory "depression/anxiety" in favor of the field. The amount of cortisol in saliva was not different between the groups. A short-term stay in a forest in summer caused a greater improvement in mood and well-being in HSP than in a field. This effect was not detectable during bad weather in the fall.

Keywords: Shinrin-Yoku; anxiety; depression; forest bathing; forest environment; highly sensitive persons; relaxation; stress; therapeutic landscape.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram.
Figure 2
Figure 2
CSP-14 of the ITT total collective (n = 39, mean values ± standard deviation), comparison of forest and field interventions. * = p < 0.05.
Figure 3
Figure 3
CSP-14 summer collective (n = 23, mean values ± standard deviation), comparison of forest and field interventions. * = p < 0.05.
Figure 4
Figure 4
CSP-14 of the ITT autumn collective (n = 15, mean values ± standard deviation), comparison of forest and field interventions.
Figure 5
Figure 5
ITT analysis of the POMS (n = 39, mean values ± standard deviation), and comparison of forest and field interventions. Higher values show improvement in vigor; lower values show improvement in hostility, fatigue, depression/anxiety. T1 = before, T2 = after intervention, p = significance level of the difference T2-T1, * p < 0.05.
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Grants and funding

This research was funded by Margarete Müller-Bull foundation, Gerokstr.1, 70188 Stuttgart, Germany, www.mmb-stiftung.de. We acknowledge support by the Open Access Publication Fund of the University of Freiburg.