Impact of Forest Baths on Emotional Well-being in People With Sub-clinical Symptomatology of Anxiety and Depression

UAB-CAN RULL 2022 Study: Impact of Forest Baths on Emotional Well-being in People With Sub-clinical Symptomatology of Anxiety and Depression

The investigators intend to evaluate patients aged 18 to 99 years with symptoms of anxiety and/or mild depression. A randomized controlled clinical trial will be carried out to evaluate the impact of the guided practice of forest bathing.

The practice of Shinrin-Yoku, also known as Forest Bathing, is an outdoor therapeutic modality with growing evidence suggesting positive effects on the psychological well-being and general health of individuals. However, its benefits have been studied mainly in Asian countries, needing further research to assess whether its benefits are also generalizable to other European-Mediterranean regions. To explore this question, the investigators intend to evaluate patients aged 18 to 99 years with symptoms of anxiety and/or mild depression. A randomized controlled clinical trial will be carried out to evaluate the impact of the guided practice of forest bathing. The participants will be randomly distributed in two arms, with a crossover design: arm A intervention + control; arm B control + intervention. Participation in this study consists of the execution of two sessions of guided forest bathing practice, and the completion of online evaluation forms before and after each session of guided forest bathing practice, for 24 hours afterwards, as well as before and after the program as a whole. The study includes clinical assessments, emotional well-being, social support and other complementary indicators. For hypothesis testing, a linear model of univariate analysis of variance intrasubject design will be applied to the dependent variables, with three phase conditions (pre, post and follow-up) and two treatment conditions (intervention vs. control).

Inclusion Criteria:

• Men or women aged 18 to 65 years.
• Voluntary signature of informed consent.
• Symptomatology of anxiety and/or mild depression with mild interference in daily functioning.
• Motivation, attitude and ability to work in a group.
• Receptive attitude to learning new skills and sharing experiences.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Serious psychiatric disorder: Major depressive disorder with or without psychotic symptoms, uncompensated major depressive episode, dysthymic disorder, presence of suicidal ideation or suicide attempts, personality disorder.
• Lack of knowledge of Catalan and Spanish.
• Disconformity with acceptable standards of conduct.