The effects of forest bathing on the cognition and mental health of Malaysian senior citizens

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Forest bathing is a promising nature-based intervention that may support psychological and cognitive health in later life. This study examined the effects of a six-month intervention, in which forest bathing was operationalised as a group-based forest walking intervention, on cognitive and psychological health in older Malaysian adults. A total of 120 participants aged 60 years and above were randomised to a forest walk, city walk, or passive control group. Depressive and anxiety symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), respectively. Working memory and general cognition were assessed using the 2-Back task and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), respectively. Participants in the forest walk group showed significant reductions in depressive symptoms ( p < .001, ηp ² = .112) and anxiety ( p = .007, ηp ² = .060), whereas the city walk and control groups did not. The forest walk group also showed a significant improvement in working memory ( p < .001, ηp ² = .141), while no significant changes were observed in the city walk or control group. The time-by-group interaction for general cognition was not significant. These findings suggest that forest walking may support mental health and specific cognitive functions in older adults, although the cognitive effects may be domain-specific.