Preference for Components of a Horticultural Therapy Program for Alleviating Job Stress Among Secondary School Teachers

Background and objective: This study investigated the program components preferred by secondary school teachers todesign effective horticultural therapy programs to relieve their job stress. Methods: An online survey was conducted from April 8 to 28, 2025, targeting 307 middle and high school teachers. Thequestionnaire included 8 items on demographic characteristics, 4 items on emotional labor and job stress levels, and 10items on preferred components of horticultural therapy programs. Results: Job stress levels were measured on a scale from 0 (low) to 10 (high), with the majority of the respondents (57.8%)scoring 7 or higher. The most individual strategies for relieving job stress were exercise (31.9%) and travel (25.9%). Regarding preferred program components, most teachers favored programs consisting of a total number of 10 or fewersessions (85%), held once per week (74.3%), with each session lasting 60 minutes or less (70.7%), and involving 10 orfewer participants per session (78.2%). Preferred times for program participation were after work (31.8%) and during lunchbreaks (32.6%). Indoor settings were preferred by 42% of respondents as the location of program activity, and grouptherapy was the most preferred format (33.3%). Lastly, in terms of preferred activities, respondents most commonlyselected gardening (34%), followed by craft (33.9%) and cooking activities (25.3%). Conclusion: These findings are expected to serve as a foundational reference for the design, institutional adoption, andfurther research of horticultural therapy programs aimed at relieving job stress among secondary school teachers.