Studiet undersøger, om gåture i naturen kan være gavnlige for personer med depression (MDD). Tyve personer med MDD deltog, og resultaterne viste, at hukommelsen forbedredes betydeligt efter en gåtur i naturen sammenlignet med en bytur. Derudover blev humøret også forbedret. Disse resultater tyder på, at naturinteraktion kan være en nyttig klinisk supplerende behandling for MDD.
Titel på undersøgelse:
Interacting with Nature Improves Cognition and Affect for Individuals with Depression.
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Hele abstrakt på originalsprog:
This study investigates whether walking in nature benefits individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD), given that healthy adults experience cognitive improvements from such activities, though it was uncertain if depressed individuals might instead experience worsened mood and memory due to rumination induced by solitary nature walks. Twenty MDD-diagnosed participants underwent baseline assessments of mood (via PANAS) and short-term memory (via backwards digit span task), then reflected on an unresolved negative autobiographical event to prime rumination before embarking on a 50-minute walk in either a natural or urban environment; post-walk mood and memory were reassessed, with the procedure repeated the following week in the alternate setting using a counterbalanced within-subjects design. Results showed a significant memory span increase after nature walks compared to urban walks (p<.001, η(p)(2)=.53, a large effect size), alongside mood improvements, though these affective gains were uncorrelated with memory enhancements, indicating distinct mechanisms consistent with prior research. Despite limitations like small sample size and participant motivation, these findings suggest nature walks could supplement MDD treatments by boosting cognitive and affective well-being.