Vélez Norida, Paredes-Céspedes Diana Marcela, Cruz-Pérez Angélica, López Ronald, Parada-López Alejandra, Téllez-Ávila Eliana M, Rodríguez de Silva Paola, Munevar Ana, Rodríguez González Diana Marcela, Fuquen Paola, Santacruz Juan Carlos, Malagón-Rojas Jeadran
Grupo de Salud Ambiental y Laboral, Dirección de Investigación en Salud Pública, Instituto Nacional de Salud, Bogotá C.P. 111321, Colombia.
Jardín Botánico de Bogotá José Celestino Mutis, Bogotá C.P. 111071, Colombia.
Eur J Investig Health Psychol Educ. 2025 Aug 14;15(8):159. doi: 10.3390/ejihpe15080159.
Healthcare professionals experience high levels of stress due to demanding work, especially in metropolitan areas. Nature-based interventions offer potential mental health benefits. This randomized intervention study aimed to evaluate the effects of nature immersion therapies on mental health outcomes in healthcare workers with different psychological risk in Bogota, Colombia.
During a period of 6 months, a total of 82 healthcare workers from two institutions were assigned to three groups: two exposed weekly to nature (parks and forests) and one control group with monthly conventional interventions. Psychological assessments of stress, anxiety, fatigue, and sleep quality were conducted at three time points (baseline, three, and six months of intervention). Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR) was measured monthly using immunoassay.
A decrease in the proportion of participants reporting high levels of perceived stress was observed in both intervention groups. Both forest and parks interventions significantly reduced anxiety and fatigue, while sleep quality improved only in the forest group. Multivariate analysis found a negative association between fatigue and forest intervention, as well as significant differences in CAR concentrations across groups over time.
This study provides evidence that nature immersion therapy, particularly urban forests, positively impact mental and physical health, reducing stress, anxiety, fatigue, and CAR levels, and could be considered as an effective intervention to enhance workers' resilience to stress, benefiting their overall health and well-being.
由于工作要求高，医疗保健专业人员承受着高水平的压力，尤其是在大都市地区。基于自然的干预措施对心理健康有益。这项随机干预研究旨在评估自然沉浸式疗法对哥伦比亚波哥大具有不同心理风险的医护人员心理健康结果的影响。
在6个月的时间里，来自两个机构的82名医护人员被分为三组：两组每周接触自然（公园和森林），一组为对照组，每月进行常规干预。在三个时间点（基线、干预三个月和六个月）对压力、焦虑、疲劳和睡眠质量进行心理评估。每月使用免疫测定法测量皮质醇觉醒反应（CAR）。
两个干预组中报告感知压力水平高的参与者比例均有所下降。森林和公园干预均显著降低了焦虑和疲劳，而睡眠质量仅在森林组有所改善。多变量分析发现疲劳与森林干预之间存在负相关，且随着时间推移，各组之间的CAR浓度存在显著差异。
本研究提供了证据表明，自然沉浸式疗法，尤其是城市森林，对心理和身体健康有积极影响，可减轻压力、焦虑、疲劳和CAR水平，可被视为增强员工抗压能力的有效干预措施，有益于他们的整体健康和福祉。
