Han Dan Rong, Sabran Kamal
Department of New Media Design and Technology, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia.
BMC Public Health. 2025 Jul 9;25(1):2423. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-21730-7.
Mental health is an essential component of public health. However, many individuals today face serious mental health challenges. Video-based Natural Restorative Environments (VNREs) have shown promising potential in the field of mental health. Despite this, systematic studies specifically addressing VNREs and their effects on mental well-being remain limited. This systematic review aims to 1) assess the current application of VNREs among the general adult population, and 2) examine the specific impact of VNREs on mental health in depth.
This systematic review strictly adhered to PRISMA guidelines and conducted a comprehensive search across six major databases (PsycINFO, PubMed, ProQuest, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Taylor & Francis Online) based on the PICOS framework, covering literature published from January 1, 2018, to January 1, 2024. The main inclusion criteria were: 1) studies exploring the relationship between VNREs and mental health; 2) participants being healthy adults; 3) interventions delivered via 2D video. The JBI checklists, along with RoB 2 and ROBINS-I tools, were used to assess study quality and risk of bias. Results were analysed using a narrative synthesis approach.
A total of 26 studies meeting the inclusion criteria were analysed. Current VNREs predominantly depict blue or green spaces, often accompanied by natural soundscapes. Delivered both online and offline across various devices and durations, VNREs demonstrated short-term positive effects on mental health, including improved emotion regulation, stress reduction, and enhanced restorativeness. Additionally, VNREs positively fostered constructive relationships with society and nature, increased energy, improved coping ability, encouraged pro-environmental behaviours, and reduced procrastination. Individual differences and video content are key factors influencing the effectiveness of these interventions.
This review indicates that VNREs offer a flexible and cost-effective approach to mental health intervention. While VNREs cannot fully replicate the experience of real natural environments, they hold significant value in the public health domain. Future research should further examine the effects of intervention design on user experience, with particular attention to how individual differences may moderate intervention outcomes. This review provides a new perspective for developing more effective mental health interventions and offers valuable support for public health practices.
心理健康是公共卫生的重要组成部分。然而，如今许多人面临着严重的心理健康挑战。基于视频的自然恢复环境（VNREs）在心理健康领域已显示出有前景的潜力。尽管如此，专门针对VNREs及其对心理健康影响的系统研究仍然有限。本系统评价旨在：1）评估VNREs在一般成年人群中的当前应用情况；2）深入研究VNREs对心理健康的具体影响。
本系统评价严格遵循PRISMA指南，基于PICOS框架在六个主要数据库（PsycINFO、PubMed、ProQuest、ScienceDirect、Web of Science和Taylor & Francis Online）中进行全面检索，涵盖2018年1月1日至2024年1月1日发表的文献。主要纳入标准为：1）探索VNREs与心理健康之间关系的研究；2）参与者为健康成年人；3）通过二维视频进行干预。使用JBI核对清单以及RoB 2和ROBINS - I工具来评估研究质量和偏倚风险。结果采用叙述性综合分析方法进行分析。
共分析了26项符合纳入标准的研究。当前的VNREs主要描绘蓝色或绿色空间，常伴有自然声景。通过各种设备和不同时长在网上和线下提供，VNREs对心理健康显示出短期积极影响，包括改善情绪调节、减轻压力和增强恢复力。此外，VNREs积极促进与社会和自然的建设性关系，增加活力，提高应对能力，鼓励环保行为，并减少拖延。个体差异和视频内容是影响这些干预效果的关键因素。
本评价表明，VNREs为心理健康干预提供了一种灵活且具有成本效益的方法。虽然VNREs不能完全复制真实自然环境的体验，但它们在公共卫生领域具有重要价值。未来研究应进一步考察干预设计对用户体验的影响，尤其要关注个体差异如何调节干预结果。本评价为开发更有效的心理健康干预措施提供了新视角，并为公共卫生实践提供了有价值的支持。
