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Forest features and mental health and wellbeing: A scoping review
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Forest features and mental health and wellbeing: A scoping review

Helen Clark, Jerome Vanclay and Eric Brymer
Journal of environmental psychology, Vol.89, 102040
08/2023

Metrics

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being
#11 Sustainable Cities and Communities

Source: InCites

Abstract

Forest bathing Forest therapy Forests Mental health Psychological health Shinrin yoku
Forest environments have been found to benefit mental health and wellbeing, however there is little research on which forest features are more effective. Here, original research articles are reviewed to examine the impact of particular forest features on mental health and wellbeing. A systematic scoping review following the Joanna Briggs Institute methodological guidelines reviewed 33 articles. Findings from this review indicated that all types of forest had beneficial outcomes on mental health and wellbeing. These findings suggest that all forests have the potential to induce positive and reduce negative effect. The review also revealed the need for greater understanding of impact of forest type on mental health and wellbeing. It is recommended that all future research include detailed reporting of the forest environment to understand the features most effective for mental health and wellbeing.

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