(PS14-82) The Effect of Competing Breathing and Mindfulness Coping Skills Outside vs Inside: A Brief Intervention

Brief mindfulness exercises and deep breathing exercises have been shown to reduce in-the-moment stress levels and to improve mood and affect if consistently conducted over time (Howarth et al., 2019). Additionally, time spent in nature has been shown to reduce stress levels and state anxiety (Kotera et al., 2021). While research on larger doses of time in nature shows a consistent benefit (Bettmann et al., 2016; Kotera et al., 2022), this study aims to contribute to the literature by examining if a very small dose of nature also demonstrates a benefit.

Subjects are adults currently being recruited from a university in northern New Mexico and are selected for either the outside or inside condition using restricted random assignment to force equal group sizes. Participants are walked to a nearby urban greenspace or indoor classroom based on their assignment. Stress and relaxation self-report measures are acquired immediately before and after the administration of a breathing and a mindfulness exercise. Connectedness to nature is measured as a potential covariate. Recruitment for the inside condition has closed (n = 36). The outside condition currently has 31 participants and recruitment will be closed after successfully running at least 33 participants. Data analysis will assess if the mean difference between pre- and post-treatment is significantly different between conditions. Our hypothesis is that those in the outside condition will experience more reduction in stress and increase in relaxation from the treatment than the inside condition. Findings could have implications for the management of subclinical stress as well as intervention effectiveness for clinical issues. They could also add to the evidence that access to greenspaces is important for general health (White et al., 2013) and therefore worthy of creation and protection. Additionally, findings could help specify how large of a dose of nature is needed for therapeutic benefits.

References

Bettmann, J. E., Gillis, H. L., Speelman, E. A., Parry, K. J., & Case, J. M. (2016). A Meta-analysis of Wilderness Therapy Outcomes for Private Pay Clients. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 25(9), 2659–2673. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-016-0439-0

Kotera, Y., Lyons, M., Vione, K. C., & Norton, B. (2021). Effect of Nature Walks on Depression and Anxiety: A Systematic Review. Sustainability, 13(7), 4015. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13074015

Kotera, Y., Richardson, M., & Sheffield, D. (2022). Effects of Shinrin-Yoku (Forest Bathing) and Nature Therapy on Mental Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 20(1), 337–361. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-020-00363-4

Howarth, A., Smith, J. G., Perkins-Porras, L., & Ussher, M. (2019). Effects of Brief Mindfulness-Based Interventions on Health-Related Outcomes: A Systematic Review. Mindfulness, 10(10), 1957–1968. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-019-01163-1

White, M. P., Alcock, I., Wheeler, B. W., & Depledge, M. H. (2013). Would you be happier living in a greener urban area? A fixed-effects analysis of panel data. Psychological Science, 24(6), 920–928. https://doi-org.highlands.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/0956797612464659