Abstract Background The global burden of mental illness is increasing day by day, and exploring non-pharmaceutical intervention methods has become an important direction in rehabilitation medicine. As a core element of the natural healing environment, green Spaces can effectively alleviate patients’ anxiety, lower their stress levels, and enhance their psychological resilience. If green Spaces are scientifically planned in nursing homes, it can not only promote patients’ emotional regulation and cognitive recovery, but also enhance their willingness to socialize. To this end, the study introduces green space layout and psychological rehabilitation needs to adapt and optimize the design of sanatoriums, and analyzes the positive promoting effect of this environment on patients’ rehabilitation. Methods A total of 106 inpatients with mental disorders who were in the recovery period were selected for the study and divided into an intervention group and a control group, with 53 patients in each group. Patients in the intervention group lived in a nursing home environment designed by integrating green space layout and psychological rehabilitation needs. They received no less than 1 hour of green space exposure intervention every day, including gardening activities, forest walks and nature meditation. The control group maintained the regular ward environment and treatment plan, and no additional green space activities were arranged. The intervention period was 8 weeks, and the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) and the Hamilton Anxiety Scale were adopted. The emotional state of the patients before and after the intervention was evaluated by HAMA and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). Five professional psychologists evaluated the patient’s recovery based on their clinical conditions. The study quantified the rehabilitation situation on a 5-point scale, with a higher score indicating a better degree of rehabilitation. The scores were independently rated by five physicians and the average was taken. Results After the intervention, the symptoms of anxiety, depression and psychosis in the intervention group were significantly improved (p.05). The HAMA score decreased from 24.3 ± 3.5 to 14.6 ± 2.8, the HAMD decreased from 22.7 ± 4.1 to 12.9 ± 3.3, and the BPRS score decreased by 1.8 points. Compared with the control group, the scores of the three scales in the intervention group decreased significantly, and the decrease was significantly greater than that in the control group (p.05). The average value of rehabilitation assessment increased from 2.6 before the intervention to 4.1, which was significantly better than that of the control group (p.05). Discussion The green space design of sanatoriums effectively promotes the rehabilitation process of patients with mental illnesses by providing opportunities for natural contact. The research results show that introducing green space intervention in the rehabilitation stage of patients with mental disorders has significant clinical value and can improve the psychological state and social functions of patients in multiple dimensions. The current research arrangement for green space exposure duration is no less than one hour per day. In the future, the dose-effect relationship can be further explored to determine the optimal intervention duration. Funding No. NZJGH2025192.
Yu Xue (Sun,) studied this question.