A nature-based program improved mood and anxiety levels among patients with mild to moderate mental health conditions, reported a new study published in Health & Social Care in the Community.
Social prescribing allows general practitioners and health and social professionals to refer patients to a range of local nonclinical services. Green social prescribing is a variant of social prescribing and involves connecting people to nature-based interventions. Emerging evidence suggests such interventions significantly improve mental health.
The current study investigated the effects of green social prescribing on self-reported measures of mental health and well-being among participants with various conditions ranging from mild to moderate anxiety, mild to moderate depression, and social phobia to single-incident PTSD and OCD. Participants were considered to be at a low level of risk to themselves and others and both motivated and interested in engaging in a green social prescribing activity.
Interventions took place on a weekly basis and ranged between one to four weeks, five to eight weeks, and nine to 12 weeks in length. Before and after questionnaires were used to determine the effects of green social prescribing. In total, 171 participants were included in the analyses.
While all participants reported improved wellbeing and mental health, those who took part in the longer programs or activities linked to horticultural and care farming experienced more significant improvements in mood and anxiety compared to those in shorter programs or involved in activities like outdoor crafts, creative and mindfulness sessions, or sport and exercise. Improvements were similar to those seen from short-term cognitive behavioral therapy.
"The fact that activities such as gardening, tending allotments, and care farming had the most impact on the participants in our study, demonstrated that it is not just about being passive in nature, but connecting with it in a meaningful way,” study author Professor Peter Coventry from the Department of Health Sciences at the University of York said in a press release.
"There is also something to be said for connecting with nature in the company of other people who live in the same place as you. Anxiety and depression can often be born out of loneliness and feelings of disconnectedness, so it makes sense that taking part in shared activities close to home - especially those that involve caring for and improving your local environment - can help lift mood and reduce anxiety," he added.
Sources: Science Daily, Health & Social Care in the Community
