Marianne Thorsen Gonzalez

Therapeutic horticulture in clinical depression: a prospective study of active components

AIM This paper is a report of a study conducted to assess change in depression severity, perceived attentional capacity and rumination (brooding) in individuals with clinical depression during a therapeutic horticulture programme and to investigate if the changes were mediated by experiences of being away and fascination. BACKGROUND Individuals with clinical depression suffer from distortion of attention and rumination. Interventions can help to disrupt maladaptive rumination and promote restoration of depleted attentional capacity. METHOD A single-group study was conducted with a convenience sample of 28 people with clinical depression in 2009. Data were collected before, twice during, and immediately after a 12-week therapeutic horticulture programme, and at 3-month follow-up. Assessment instruments were the Beck Depression Inventory, Attentional Function Index, Brooding Scale, and Being Away and Fascination subscales from the Perceived Restorativeness Scale. FINDINGS Mean Beck Depression Inventory scores declined by 4.5 points during the intervention (F = 5.49, P = 0.002). The decline was clinically relevant for 50% of participants. Attentional Function Index scores increased (F = 4.14, P = 0.009), while Brooding scores decreased (F = 4.51, P = 0.015). The changes in Beck Depression Inventory and Attentional Function Index scores were mediated by increases in Being Away and Fascination, and decline in Beck Depression Inventory scores was also mediated by decline in Brooding. Participants maintained their improvements in Beck Depression Inventory scores at 3-month follow-up. CONCLUSION Being away and fascination appear to work as active components in a therapeutic horticulture intervention for clinical depression.

Therapeutic horticulture in clinical depression : A prospective study

Clinically depressed persons suffer from impaired mood and distortion of cognition. This study assessed changes in depression severity and perceived attentional capacity of clinically depressed adults (N = 18) during a 12-week therapeutic horticulture program. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Attentional Function Index (AFI) were administered at baseline, twice during (4 and 8 weeks), and immediately after the intervention (12 weeks), and at a 3-month follow-up. Experiences of being away and fascination related to the intervention were measured at 4, 8, and 12 weeks. The mean BDI score declined 9.7 points from pretest (27.3) to posttest (p < .001) and were clinically relevant (ΔBDI ≥ 6) for 72% of the cases. The mean AFI score increased 10.2 points from pretest (68.8) to posttest (p = .06). The greatest change in BDI and AFI scores occurred in the initial weeks of the intervention. The reduction in BDI scores remained significant and clinically relevant at the 3-month follow-up (N = 16). The decline in depression severity during the intervention correlated strongly with the degree to which the participants found that it captured their attention. Therapeutic horticulture may decrease depression severity and improve perceived attentional capacity by engaging effortless attention and interrupting rumination.

A Prospective Study of Existential Issues in Therapeutic Horticulture for Clinical Depression

Two studies with single-group design (Study 1 N = 18, Study 2 N = 28) addressed whether horticultural activities ameliorate depression severity and existential issues. Measures were obtained before and after a 12-week therapeutic horticulture program and at 3-month follow-up. In both studies, depression severity declined significantly during the intervention and remained low at the follow-up. In both studies the existential outcomes did not change significantly; however, the change that did occur during the intervention correlated (rho > .43) with change in depression severity. Participants’ open-ended accounts described the therapeutic horticulture experience as meaningful and influential for their view of life.

Clinical Use of Sensory Gardens and Outdoor Environments in Norwegian Nursing Homes: A Cross-Sectional E-mail Survey

Gardens and outdoor environments offer multiple therapeutic possibilities for the residents in nursing homes. Web-based questionnaires were sent to 488 nursing home leaders and 121 leaders responded. The clinical impressions of the leaders and staff regarding the benefits of sensory gardens (SGs) to the residents were consistent with previous research. SGs facilitated taking residents outdoors, offered convenient topics for communication and facilitated social privacy for relatives. For improved clinical use of SGs and outdoor environments, systematic assessment of residents’ interests, performance and experiences when outdoors, implementation of seasonal clinical programmes and educational programmes for leaders and staff are recommended.

Experiences of Tenants with Serious Mental Illness Regarding Housing Support and Contextual Issues: A Meta-Synthesis

This study aimed to analyze and synthesize findings from qualitative studies that explored the experiences of tenants with serious mental illness regarding housing support and contextual issues. Twenty-four articles were identified using a systematic search strategy. The total number of informants was N = 769. The reported findings were transcribed and analyzed using a systematic text condensation approach. The tenants’ experiences were categorized into two main categories and subcategories (in parenthesis): Support Issues (Experience of Support Needs, Experiences with Receiving Support, Experiences with Support Approach) and Contextual Issues (Neighborhood Experiences, Community Experiences). The subcategories, with themes and subthemes, offer an in-depth understanding of the tenants’ complex experiences concerning housing support and contextual issues.

Mental health rehabilitation in a care farm context: A descriptive review of Norwegian intervention studies.

BACKGROUND C are farming is a service developed at farms for promoting mental and physical health and is increasingly used in mental health rehabilitation in Norway. OBJECTIVE This article aims to present a descriptive review of Norwegian intervention research on care farms that provide rehabilitation for people with mental health disorders. METHODS This literature review applied a non-systematic search strategy: all articles in the field known to the authors were selected for inclusion. The selected studies were intervention studies that were conducted on farms in Norway, that used adult participants with mental health problems/disorders, and that reported outcome measures related to mental health. The studies and articles presented quantitative and/or qualitative data. RESULTS The findings from the published articles report improvements to mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, perceived stress, positive affect, rumination, and self-efficacy. Qualitative data describe a variety of positive experiences, such as improved coping ability, increased social support, and appreciation of the care farm activity. CONCLUSION Participating in interventions on care farms positively influences mental health. Care farming may therefore be used as a supplementary approach in mental health rehabilitation, as it offers meaningful and engaging occupations and social inclusion.

Experiences of Older Men Living Alone: A Qualitative Study

More and more old people live alone, and living alone is reported to be a key risk factor for experiencing loneliness and developing poor health. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of living alone for older men. Systematic text condensation and hermeneutic interpretation were used in analysis of the data. Four themes emerged: lonely at times, missing and longing for a shared life, keeping active, and some kind of freedom. The findings revealed that inner and outer resources come into play and have influence on the processes of managing and solving the situation of living alone. The findings are in accordance with theoretical perspectives on loneliness, aloneness, and solitude. The findings offer nurses in any clinical context valuable information to allow them to address the core emotional and potential mental health issues old men face in coping with the situation of living alone.

The Lived Experience of Getting and Having a Home of One's Own: A Meta-Synthesis

This study aimed to synthesize findings from qualitative studies that explored the lived experiences of persons with serious mental illness with regard to getting and having a home. A systematic search strategy was used. Data from 24 articles were extracted and analyzed using a phenomenological-hermeneutic approach. The total number of informants was N = 769. Four main themes emerged: (1) The Turning Point: The Transition to a Home, (2) The Key to Stability and Thriving: Having and Estating a Home, (3) Home: The Mental Health Hub, and (4) Home: The Base Camp for Reconnecting and Relating.

Visiting the Allotment Garden—A Complete Experience

ABSTRACT This study explored the experiences of healthy elderly regularly visiting the allotment gardens (AGs) in a large city of Norway. Semistructured interviews with eight elderly visitors were analyzed by applying Malteruds strategy for systematic text condensation. Three main themes evolved: AG as a context for social experience; AG as a context for restorative experiences; and AG as a context for reminiscence experiences. The findings underline the importance of AGs as a natural and cultural context and may encourage politicians and planners to take into consideration the importance of neighborhood outdoor contexts offering social, nature, and reminiscence experiences for elderly people.

Existential group practice run by mental healthcare chaplains in Norway: a nationwide cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT Existential groups run by healthcare chaplains within mental healthcare have a long tradition in Norway. By using a national cross-sectional survey design, this study explored and described both quantitatively and qualitatively these groups’ characteristics. Quantitative data were analysed by descriptive statistics and content analysis inspired by Graneheim and Lundman was used to analyse the qualitative data. The current existential group practice was present in 11 of 25 Norwegian health authorities and across service levels. Five different group approaches, all addressing patients’ existential, spiritual and religious needs and issues, were identified and described. The existential groups were in general eclectic and applied a variety of therapeutic strategies representing group psychotherapy, existential therapy and clinical pastoral care. The findings suggest that this Norwegian existential group practice can be regarded as a well-established and integrated part of the Norwegian mental healthcare. Researchers are challenged to further qualitatively explore this Norwegian existential group practice.