Reduced stress and improved physical functional ability in elderly with mental health problems following a horticultural therapy program.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the effects of a plant cultivation-based horticultural therapy program for elderly people with mental health problems. DESIGN: Pre- and post-test design with experimental and control groups. SETTING: Twenty-eight elderly Korean people with mental health problems participated from April to June 2017 at a farm located in Suwon, South Korea. INTERVENTIONS: The participants were randomly assigned to either the control (n = 14) or horticultural therapy group (n = 14); the latter participated in once-weekly sessions of a previously designed 10-session horticultural therapy program. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The pre-test occurred 1 week before starting the horticultural therapy program. The post-test was completed within 1 week after finishing the final program session. Cortisol levels were measured in saliva samples collected from both groups. The Senior Fitness Test was used to assess physical functional ability in both groups. RESULTS: In the horticultural therapy group, the cortisol levels decreased significantly from before to after the horticultural therapy program, and the post-test scores for six subtests of the Senior Fitness Test improved significantly. No significant improvements were seen in either measure in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the potential ability of horticultural therapy to improve the stress levels and physical functional abilities of elderly people with mental health problems. In future studies, it would be interesting to verify the long-term effects of this horticultural therapy program and to compare its effects with regard to sex, age, and various mental symptoms.

Assessment of the psychopathological effects of a horticultural therapy program in patients with schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the psychopathological effects of participation in a 10-session horticultural therapy program in patients with schizophrenia. DESIGN: The study design was pre and post test design of experimental and control groups. SETTING: Twenty-eight Korean patients with schizophrenia, recruited from a mental health clinic and two mental health rehabilitation centers in Suwon, South Korea, were voluntarily assigned to either a control group (average age: 33.4±9.4years) or a horticultural therapy group (average age: 42.1±13.0years). INTERVENTIONS: The participants in the horticultural therapy group participated in a 10-session horticultural therapy program designed around various plant cultivating activities. The horticultural therapy program involved sessions once a week from April 2017 to June 2017. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A psychiatrist evaluated the psychopathological symptoms of schizophrenic patients in both groups. To assess the clinical psychopathological effects, the Korean version of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) were used. RESULTS: The horticultural therapy group significantly improved in terms of positive, negative, and general symptoms on the PANSS after the 10-session horticultural therapy program. Moreover, the horticultural therapy group significantly improved in terms of clinical symptoms of schizophrenia in BPRS after the 10-session horticultural therapy program. However, there was no change in the PANSS and BPRS scores in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed the potential of horticultural therapy in improving psychopathological symptoms in psychiatric patients. Future studies should investigate the effects of long-term horticultural therapy program on the chronic symptoms of patients with schizophrenia.