Intervention Of Horticultural Therapy On Depression Of College Students

In recent years,with the stimulation of a series of adverse environments such as increased social competition pressure and faster pace of life,the incidence of depression among university students is on the rise.Some studies have pointed out that 50% of depression patients in China are school students,with 35.32% of the18-24 age group.Long-term depression can easily lead to a poor state of mind,and in severe cases,it can develop into clinical depression and eventually induce suicidal behaviour.Therefore,it is important to explore the factors influencing depression among university students and intervene to propose countermeasures to prevent and improve depression among university students.This study explores the influence of connectedness to nature on depression among university students,enriching the empirical research on depression from the perspective of nature;based on the "five senses" theory,it integrates connectedness to nature and meaning in life into horticultural therapy,and designs a horticultural therapy programme based on them to intervene in depression among university students,enriching the intervention of horticultural therapy.The study also explores how connectedness to nature and meaning in life have an impact on college students’ depression,providing a theoretical reference for the prevention and intervention of depression among university students,and offering new ideas for mental health work in universities.The first Study used questionnaires to investigate the current situation of connectedness to nature,meaning in life and depression among university students using the connectedness to nature scale,Meaning in Life Questionnaire and Center for Epidemiological studies Depression Scales,using 686 university students from four universities in Yunnan Province as subjects,and dissected the pathways of the influence of connectedness to nature and meaning in life on depression to provide data support for the subsequent study.A quasi-experimental design with a two-group pre and post-test control and follow-up was used to select 30 experimental subjects(7male and 23 female)with high depression among students with depression scores ≥16in a school in descending order,randomly assign them to the experimental and control groups,and conduct eight horticultural therapy interventions for the experimental group and no intervention for the control group.No intervention was given to the control group.The three scales used in the first study were used as the main measurement instruments,while the Group Counselling Unit Feedback Form,the Group Counselling General Feedback Form,the Helper Observation Record Form and the Leader’s Summary Reflection Form were used as supplementary instruments to examine the effects of the horticultural therapy intervention.One month after the end of the experimental intervention,follow-up measures were administered to the experimental group to examine the sustained effects of the intervention study.The third study used the Gardening Journal as a qualitative research tool to explore the factors inherent in the impact of horticultural therapy on college students’ depression with the themes of connectedness to nature and meaning in life.The findings of the studies are as follows:(1)There was a significant negative correlation between college students’ connectedness to nature,meaning in life and depression.(2)College students’ connectedness to nature significantly and negatively predicted depression.(3)College students’ meaning in life significantly and negatively predicted depression.(4)Horticultural therapy based on the themes of connectedness to nature and meaning in life was effective in improving depression among university students and had a good sustained effect.(5)The intrinsic factors of connectedness to nature on depression in college students are: proximity to nature,perception of nature,and love of nature;(6)The intrinsic factors that influence the meaning in life on the depression of college students are: experiencing the growth of plants,feeling the power of life,being full of hope for life,and searching for the purpose of life;(7)The improvement of depression in university students is reflected in four areas: pleasure and surprise,relaxation and calmness,friendship and cooperation,and interest in activities.The study concludes that connectedness to nature and meaning in life have significant negative predictive effects on college students’ depression,and the horticultural therapy program designed with the theme of connectedness to nature and meaning in life can effectively alleviate college students’ depression.The study concluded that the horticultural therapy program designed with the theme of connectedness to nature and meaning in life was effective in alleviating the depression of college students.