The Psychological Effects of a Campus Forest Therapy Program
1
Department of Forest Therapy, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea
2
Department of Forest Sciences, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(10), 3409; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17103409
Received: 15 April 2020
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Revised: 8 May 2020
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Accepted: 11 May 2020
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Published: 14 May 2020
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Experience of Urban Park and Forest Contributes to Preventive Medicine such as Lifestyle-related Diseases and Depression)
This study aimed to examine the psychological effects of a campus forest therapy program. To evaluate these, pre-test and post-test control group design was employed. A total of 38 participants participated in this study (19 in the campus forest therapy program group, and 19 in control). The Profile of Mood State (POMS) questionnaire and Modified form of the Stress Response Inventory (SRI-MF) were administered to each participant to assess psychological effects. The results of this study revealed that participants in the campus forest therapy program group had significantly positive increases in their mood and stress response compared with those of control group participants. In conclusion, the campus forest therapy program is an efficient strategy to provide psychological health benefits to university students and our study can inform decision-makers on the priority of the campus forest program in societal efforts to promote psychological well-being among university students.
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Keywords:
forest healing; campus forest; profile of mood state; stress response inventory; university students’ stress
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MDPI and ACS Style
Kim, J.G.; Khil, T.G.; Lim, Y.; Park, K.; Shin, M.; Shin, W.S. The Psychological Effects of a Campus Forest Therapy Program. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 3409. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17103409
AMA Style
Kim JG, Khil TG, Lim Y, Park K, Shin M, Shin WS. The Psychological Effects of a Campus Forest Therapy Program. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17(10):3409. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17103409
Chicago/Turabian StyleKim, Jin G., Tae G. Khil, Youngsuwn Lim, Kyungja Park, Minja Shin, and Won S. Shin. 2020. "The Psychological Effects of a Campus Forest Therapy Program" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17, no. 10: 3409. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17103409
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