Therapeutic horticulture in clinical depression: a prospective study

Area of Science:

• Environmental Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Horticultural Therapy

Background:

• Depression is characterized by impaired mood and cognitive distortions.
• Attentional capacity is often affected in clinically depressed individuals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of a 12-week therapeutic horticulture program on depression severity and perceived attentional capacity in adults.
• To explore the relationship between engagement with the program and changes in mental health outcomes.

Main Methods:

• 18 clinically depressed adults participated in a 12-week therapeutic horticulture program.
• Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Attentional Function Index (AFI) were administered at baseline, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up.
• Measures of 'being away' and 'fascination' were collected during the intervention.

Main Results:

• Mean BDI scores significantly decreased by 9.7 points from pretest to posttest (p < .001), with 72% showing clinically relevant improvement.
• Mean AFI scores increased by 10.2 points from pretest to posttest (p = .06).
• Greatest improvements in BDI and AFI scores occurred early in the intervention, and BDI reductions remained significant at follow-up.

Conclusions:

• Therapeutic horticulture demonstrates potential for decreasing depression severity and enhancing perceived attentional capacity.
• The intervention may work by engaging effortless attention and interrupting rumination.
• The positive effects on depression were sustained at a 3-month follow-up.