Chung Ya-Hui, Chen Shiu-Jen, Lee Ching-Lung, Chang Yu-Sen
Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan.
College of Nursing and Health, Kang Ning University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback. 2025 Mar;50(1):123-134. doi: 10.1007/s10484-024-09676-9. Epub 2024 Nov 6.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic affected all types of people, older adults were disproportionately affected. Therefore, we developed an indoor program inspired by art and natural elements (plant essential oils [EOs]) intended to have a relaxing effect akin to a forest atmosphere to enhance psychophysiological health during this period. Thirty Taiwanese older adults (range, 59-79 years) participated in the study. We combined an art activity (still-life painting of vegetables) with the inhalation of Pseudotsuga menziesii and Lavandula angustifolia EOs during a 100-minute experiment. The study showed that physiological measures (heart rate, normalized low-frequency heart variability, the ratio of low- to high-frequency heart variability, high-beta waves, and gamma waves) decreased during the experiment; correspondingly, increased standard deviation of normal-to-normal intervals, normalized high-frequency heart variability, and high-alpha waves were observed, indicating relaxed physiological state. Subjective psychological assessments using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State showed lower posttest scores, further supporting the relaxation effects. The psychophysiological data from this study provide important scientific evidence for the physical and mental health benefits of indoor nature-based activity programs for older adults, thereby improving their quality of life.
尽管新冠疫情影响了所有类型的人群，但老年人受到的影响尤为严重。因此，我们开发了一个受艺术和自然元素（植物精油[EOs]）启发的室内项目，旨在营造一种类似于森林氛围的放松效果，以在此期间增强心理生理健康。30名台湾老年人（年龄范围为59 - 79岁）参与了这项研究。在一个100分钟的实验中，我们将一项艺术活动（蔬菜静物画）与吸入花旗松和薰衣草精油相结合。研究表明，在实验过程中，生理指标（心率、低频心率变异性标准化值、低频与高频心率变异性比值、高β波和γ波）下降；相应地，观察到正常到正常间期标准差增加、高频心率变异性标准化值增加以及高α波增加，表明生理状态放松。使用状态 - 特质焦虑量表 - 状态进行的主观心理评估显示，测试后得分较低，进一步支持了放松效果。这项研究的心理生理数据为基于室内自然的活动项目对老年人身心健康有益提供了重要的科学证据，从而改善他们的生活质量。
