Am J Med Public Health | Volume 5, Issue 1 | Research Article | Open Access

Effects of a Forest Therapy Program on Stress Response and Heart Rate Variability in Older People Who Experienced the Jeju 4•3 Incident

Jeong M¹, Kang EJ² and Min JA^3*

¹North London Collegiate School Jeju, Jeju, South Korea
²4•3 Trauma Center, Jeju, South Korea
³Department of Psychiatry, St. Mary’s Psychiatry Clinic, Jeju, South Korea

^*Correspondance to: Jung-Ah Min 

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Abstract

We assessed the effects of a forest therapy program on physiological and psychological stress responses in older adults who experienced the Jeju 4•3 incident. This study included 20 older adults recruited from the Jeju 4•3 Trauma Center. Forest therapy was conducted on a once-a-week basis for 6 weeks. Self-reported stress-related reactions were assessed in all participants using the Stress Response Inventory (SRI), and heart rate variability was used as an index of physiological stress levels. Forest therapy significantly decreased the total SRI score (p<0.001). We also observed a significant decrease in the low-frequency/high-frequency power ratio after forest therapy (p=0.002). Our data indicate that forest therapy was effective in alleviating stress reactions and stabilizing physiological responses in older adults who experienced the Jeju 4•3 incident.

Keywords:

Keywords: Jeju 4•3 incident; Older people; Forest therapy; Stress; Heart rate variability

Citation:

Jeong M, Kang EJ, Min JA. Effects of a Forest Therapy Program on Stress Response and Heart Rate Variability in Older People Who Experienced the Jeju 4•3 Incident. Am J Med Public Health. 2024; 5(1): 1060..