Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Nigg, Carina
• Schipperijn, Jasper
• Hennig, Oliver
• Petzold, Moritz Bruno
• Rulf, Ellen
• Meyer-Lindenberg, Andreas
• Tost, Heike
• Ebner-Priemer, Ulrich W.
• Reichert, Markus

Titel

Time to go green?: Nature-based physical activity as potential treatment for mental disorders

Ist Teil von

• Sports psychiatry, 2022-08, Vol.1 (3), p.116-118

Ort / Verlag

Newburyport: Hogrefe Publishing

Erscheinungsjahr

2022

Quelle

APA PsycARTICLES

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• This article discusses nature-based physical activity as potential treatment for mental disorders. Beyond physical activity’s health benefits in the general population, there is increasing recognition that physical activity reduces symptoms in people with mental disorders as an adjunctive treatment in depression, bipolar disorders, and schizophrenia. While in general, reviews and meta-analyses show positive effects of physical activity on psychopathology, it is still unclear which causal sub-components of physical activity are most effective in reducing psychiatric symptoms and enhancing well-being in people suffering from mental disorders. Commonly discussed characteristics include frequency, intensity, time, and type of physical activity. The combination of physical activity combined with nature exposure is called nature-based physical activity and refers to physical activities conducted in spaces that are dominated by natural features, such as parks, forest, rocks, or lakes. Empirically, to date, some studies in children and adults indicate enhanced psychological benefits of nature-based physical activity. However, these studies were largely conducted in non-clinical populations. In addition to the lack of studies on nature-based physical activity in psychiatric populations, other challenges need to be overcome. First, especially in clinical populations, it may take several months until the clinical effect of a nature based physical activity program becomes apparent. Second, several studies on nature-based physical activity were conducted in laboratory environments. Therefore, the authors advocate for more research on the potential benefits of nature-based physical activity as a treatment modality for people with mental disorders. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)