Therapeutic gardening offers mental health benefits to children and caregivers facing health challenges Research suggests that gardening activities promote physical health and mental well-being. This study examined the effect of a therapeutic gardening program (TGP) on the mental health of caregivers and their children with atopic dermatitis (AD), a chronic skin disorder. AD is not easily cured and can negatively affect the quality of life of the child as well as the entire family. Because anxiety and stress can worsen symptoms in children with AD, the study also investigated if improved mental health from participation in the TGP was associated with a reduction in children’s AD symptoms.
A total of 60 caregivers of children diagnosed with AD who were also experiencing psychological and emotional difficulties were recruited to participate in this study in the Republic of Korea. The caregivers were randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group, each containing 30 participants. Only caregivers, and their children (approximate age 6-12), in the experimental group participated in the TGP. Over the course of three months, 15 three-hour long TGP sessions were held in an urban garden. The TGP was “designed to facilitate active interaction and communication between children and caregivers through garden activities, with a focus on promoting psychological stability and stress relief and increasing the parenting efficacy of caregivers.” Before and after participating in the TPG, caregivers in the experimental group completed multiple self-report assessments to measure their psychosocial changes. To enable a comparison in the changes between those who participated in the TPG and those who did not, caregivers in the control group completed the same assessments. The assessments included: the Korea Mental Health Screening Tool for Depression (MHS:D) and Anxiety (MHS:A); the Core Life Activities Index (CORE) to evaluate the level of vitality in daily activities; the Korean version of the Life Satisfaction Scale (K-SWLS); the Korean version of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS); and the Parenting Efficacy Scale (PSE) to assess caretakers’ beliefs about their ability to perform parental roles. Data was also collected on the children in the experimental group before and after participating in the TPG. Assessments of children’s mental and physical health included: the Child Depression Inventory (CDI) to evaluate symptoms of depression; the Scoring Atopic Dermatitis Index to evaluate AD symptom severity; and the Transepidermal Water Loss evaluation to measure skin water loss. Data was not collected on children of the caregivers in the control group. Data sources were statistically analyzed.
Analysis revealed significant improvements in the psychosocial outcomes of caregivers who participated in the TGP. On average, both depression and anxiety symptoms decreased from levels considered mild to less than mild. Vitality increased from levels considered below average to above average. Life satisfaction and parenting efficacy also increased significantly, and stress significantly decreased. Analysis identified a relationship between caregivers’ mental health and parenting efficacy, with higher levels of depression, anxiety and stress being linked to lower parenting efficacy. On the other hand, higher parenting efficacy was associated with higher vitality and satisfaction with life. Additionally, caregivers reported that participating in the TGP supported increased interaction with their children, helped relieve stress and improved the quality of family life and parenting efficacy. For children, results indicated that participation in the TGP also significantly decreased feelings of depression. Specifically, physiological symptoms and depressive emotions decreased by more than thirty percent and behavioral disorders decreased by ten percent. Further, the severity of children’s physical AD symptoms also significantly decreased. Measures of skin water loss showed improvement, although not significantly. However, despite these improvements, a significant relationship was not detected between depression and physical symptoms in children with AD.
The study highlights the potential of therapeutic gardening as a mental health intervention for parents and children with challenging health concerns. The researchers conclude that “participating in a TGP, which is designed to promote positive mental health through various interactions with parents while engaging with nature, can be an effective activity for enhancing the psychological well-being of children with AD.” Findings are consistent with prior studies that have examined the therapeutic effects of gardening on mental health.
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