Nature Walks as a Part of Therapeutic Intervention for Depression

Studies on the positive effects of interacting with green space on those with depression are few. This pilot study used nature walks as a part of the “Coping with Depression” program in a single-group within-subject time series design (N = 13). Every second meeting was held outdoors in urban green space and every second indoors. We measured depression, restorative experiences, and positive mental well-being at the beginning, at the end of the 8-week intervention, and at 3-month follow-up. Restorative experiences were also measured before and after every meeting. We observed a significant decrease in depression and a significant increase in positive mental well-being over the three measurement points. For six (46%) participants, depression severity changed for the better clinically significantly. Restoration on nature walks mediated the increase in positive mental well-being from baseline to follow-up. Positive mental well-being at the end of the intervention mediated the decrease in depression.