Chang Yun, Ewert Alan, Kamendulis Lisa M, Hocevar Barbara A
School of Kinesiology and Recreation, Illinois State University;
Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Studies, Indiana University.
J Vis Exp. 2019 Jun 19(148). doi: 10.3791/59272.
Visitation to natural environments has been linked to psychological stress reduction. Although most stress-related research has relied on self-report formats, a growing number of studies now incorporate biological stress-related hormones and catalysts, such as cortisol and α-amylase, to measure levels of stress. Presented here is a protocol to examine the effects on levels of biophysical and psychological stress following visitation to three different locations with differing levels of nature. Biophysical and self-reported psychological stress levels are measured immediately upon entering the selected locations and just prior to the visitors leaving the site. Using a "drool" method, the biophysical measure consists of 1-2 mL samples of saliva provided by study subjects upon entry to one of three study locations. As prescribed by extant literature, the saliva is collected within a 45 minute time frame following the end of the visitor's engagement at the location. Following saliva collection, the samples are labeled and transported to a biological lab. Cortisol is the biophysical variable of interest in this study and measured using an ELISA process with a TECAN plate reader. To measure self-reported stress, the Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ), which reports levels of worry, tension, joy, and perceived demands. Data are collected at all three sites in the late afternoon through early evening. When compared across all three settings, stress levels, as measured by both the biological markers and self-reports, are significantly lower after visitation to the most natural setting.
前往自然环境与减轻心理压力有关。尽管大多数与压力相关的研究都依赖自我报告形式，但现在越来越多的研究纳入了与生物压力相关的激素和催化剂，如皮质醇和α淀粉酶，以测量压力水平。本文介绍了一项研究方案，旨在考察前往三个自然程度不同的地点后，对生物物理和心理压力水平的影响。在进入选定地点时以及游客离开该地点之前，立即测量生物物理和自我报告的心理压力水平。采用“唾液采集”方法，生物物理测量包括研究对象在进入三个研究地点之一时提供的1 - 2毫升唾液样本。按照现有文献的规定，在游客在该地点的活动结束后的45分钟内收集唾液。收集唾液后，对样本进行标记并送往生物实验室。皮质醇是本研究中感兴趣的生物物理变量，使用酶联免疫吸附测定法（ELISA）和TECAN酶标仪进行测量。为了测量自我报告的压力，使用感知压力问卷（PSQ），该问卷报告担忧、紧张、愉悦和感知需求的水平。在下午晚些时候至傍晚时分在所有三个地点收集数据。在对所有三种环境进行比较时，通过生物标志物和自我报告测量的压力水平在访问最自然的环境后显著降低。
