| Keywords [eng] |
miško terapija, shinrin-yoku, širdies ritmo variabilumas, HRV, RMSSD, psichofiziologiniai atsakai, savęs vertinimo klausimynai, streso atsistatymas, dėvimi įrenginiai, forest therapy |
| Abstract [eng] |
Forest therapy, or shinrin-yoku, is a structured practice of slow and mindful presence in a forest environment through sensory engagement with nature. Previous research links it with lower psychological stress and improved well-being, but physiological findings, especially heart rate variability (HRV), remain inconsistent. This master’s thesis investigated acute and delayed psychophysiological responses to a guided forest therapy session by combining wearable-derived physiological data with self-report questionnaires. The main analyses included 25 adults who participated in a guided forest therapy session in the forest area near Dvarčionių šaltinis in Vilnius. Physiological data were collected using Garmin vívosmart 5 devices and exported through the Fitrockr platform. The primary nocturnal HRV outcome was RMSSD calculated from confirmed-sleep 5-minute epochs. Self-report outcomes included state anxiety, positive and negative affect, quality of life, depressive symptoms, resilience, and the Human Health Passport total score. Forest therapy was associated with clear acute psychological improvement: state anxiety decreased, positive affect increased, and negative affect decreased immediately after the session. However, nocturnal RMSSD and nocturnal heart rate did not change significantly on the acute night after the session or during the later post-session period. Delayed questionnaire outcomes showed improvement in WHOQOL-BREF physical health, depressive symptoms, and resilience, while Human Health Passport total score and sustained PANAS affect did not change significantly. Exploratory analysis of physiological changes during the session suggested a possible increase in RMSSD together with reductions in heart rate and wearable stress score, but associations between physiological and psychological changes remained unclear. Overall, forest therapy in this study was associated with a strong acute psychological response and a possible immediate autonomic relaxation response during the session, while delayed nocturnal RMSSD changes were not detected. The study suggests that combining self-report questionnaires with wearable monitoring can be valuable for evaluating forest therapy effects, but it also highlights the interpretive limitations of HRV parameters derived from wrist-based PPG. |
