Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Program in Public Health, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA; Institute of Medical Information, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Environ Res. 2023 Jan 1;216(Pt 1):114499. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.114499. Epub 2022 Oct 5.
Benefits of green spaces on stress reduction have been shown in previous studies. Most existing studies to date have focused on the general population. However, there is a lack of understanding of physiological mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of green space among special populations, such as pregnant women.
To examine physiological and affective responses to green space on stress recovery among pregnant women, using simulated green space exposure through virtual reality (VR).
We recruited 63 pregnant women between 8 and 14 weeks' gestational age for a laboratory experiment. Participants were randomly assigned to view one of three, 5-min, VR videos of an urban scene with different green space levels (i.e., non-green, moderate, and high) after a laboratory stressor, the Trier Social Stress Test. Physiological stress responses were measured via changes in blood pressure, heart rate, skin conductance level, salivary alpha-amylase, and salivary cortisol. Affective response was measured using the Positive and Negative Affect Scale.
We found that visual exposure to a green space environment in VR was associated with both physiological and affective stress reduction among pregnant women, including lower systolic blood pressure [-4.6 mmHg, 95% confidence interval (CI): -8.8, -0.4], reduced salivary alpha-amylase concentration (-1.2 ng/ml, 95% CI: -2.2, -0.2), improved overall positive affect (score: 6.6, 95% CI: 0.3, 13.0) and decreased negative affect of anxiety (score: -2.6, 95% CI: -5.19, -0.04) compared to non-green space environment. Exposure to high green space environment in park-like setting had the strongest impacts on stress recovery.
This study demonstrated that virtual green space exposure could effectively ease stress and improve mental health and well-being during pregnancy. Even a short immersion in VR-based green space environment may bring health benefits, which has significant implications for pregnant women when access to an actual nature may not be possible.
先前的研究表明，绿色空间对减轻压力有好处。迄今为止，大多数现有研究都集中在普通人群上。然而，对于特殊人群（如孕妇），对于绿色空间有益影响的生理机制尚缺乏了解。
通过虚拟现实（VR）模拟绿色空间暴露，研究孕妇在压力恢复过程中对绿色空间的生理和情感反应。
我们招募了 63 名处于 8 至 14 周妊娠龄的孕妇进行实验室实验。参与者在实验室应激源，即特里尔社会应激测试后，随机分配观看三个 5 分钟的城市场景 VR 视频之一，其中绿色空间水平不同（即非绿色、中等和高）。生理应激反应通过血压、心率、皮肤电导率、唾液 α-淀粉酶和唾液皮质醇的变化来测量。情感反应通过正性和负性情绪量表来测量。
我们发现，VR 中绿色空间环境的视觉暴露与孕妇的生理和情感压力减轻有关，包括收缩压降低[-4.6mmHg，95%置信区间（CI）：-8.8，-0.4]、唾液 α-淀粉酶浓度降低[-1.2ng/ml，95%CI：-2.2，-0.2]、整体正性情绪改善（评分：6.6，95%CI：0.3，13.0）和焦虑负性情绪降低（评分：-2.6，95%CI：-5.19，-0.04）与非绿色空间环境相比。与公园式高绿色空间环境暴露相比，对压力恢复的影响最强。
本研究表明，虚拟绿色空间暴露可以有效缓解孕妇的压力，改善其心理健康和幸福感。即使是短暂沉浸在基于 VR 的绿色空间环境中，也可能带来健康益处，当孕妇无法接触到实际的自然环境时，这具有重要意义。
