숲 이미지 산책이 여자소년원 원생들의 공격성 및 자아존중감에 미치는 영향

Influence of Walking in the Forest Image on Aggression and Self-Esteem of Female Reformatory Facility Students

Many works strongly show that forest healing has positive effects on both psychological and physiological aspect of human health. Unfortunately, people restricted mostly to indoor activities, such as the disabled, elderly in long-term care, and reformatory facility students, are not normally able to attend forest healing programs. Therefore, this study examined the psychological effects of indoor forest experiences on human health. Twenty-two students in a female reformatory facility participated in this study: 11 students participated in the walking program in the forest image 10 times for 15 minutes per day (the experimental group) and the rest were part of the control group. The experimental group imagined walking in a forest while viewing forest image slideshow and listening to forest sounds, while the control group did not. Aggression and self-esteem were measured before the start of the program, at the end program, and 2 weeks after the program has ended. The experimental group showed a significant increase in self-esteem while showing only a slight decrease in aggression. The results suggest that people who have lack of access to outdoor activities may enjoy the benefits of forest experiences within indoors.