Objectives Women experience more stress in middle age than in other periods of their lives.Therefore, health Miniatures Kit management programs that enable middle-aged women to cope with and manage stress are needed.This study investigated the psychological effects of a meditation-focused forest therapy program among 53 middle-aged women living in urban areas in Korea.
Methods Participants were divided into 2 groups: one group underwent the program for 3 days in a forest, followed by 3 days in an urban environment, and the other group underwent the program for 3 days in the urban environment, followed by 3 days in the forest.The psychological effects of the forest therapy program were evaluated using the Profile of Mood States-Brief (POMS-B).Differences in mood state before and after the program conducted in the forest (experimental group) and in the urban environment (control group) were evaluated using the paired-samples t-test.
Results The Spoons program in the forest significantly reduced tension, depression, anger, fatigue, and confusion among the domains of the POMS-B.The program in the urban area significantly reduced tension, but not depression, anger, fatigue, or confusion.Conclusions Meditation-focused forest therapy programs are expected to contribute to promoting psychological health and enhancing the quality of life of middle-aged women.