Abstract This study aims to determine the physiological and psychosocial effects of forest therapy on the stress levels of middle-aged working women. Nineteen middle-aged working women (54.80 ± 0.68 years old) participated in a half-day forest therapy program conducted at Bukit Ekspo; A tree-dominated urban park located at the centre of Universiti Putra Malaysia. For the physiological indices, the systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and pulse rate of the participants were evaluated three times a day; Before breakfast, lunch and dinner. The readings were obtained two days before, during and three days after the forest therapy program. The physiological readings obtained two days before the study served as the baseline reading, as it represented the normal, everyday physiological condition of the participants. The baseline SBP (124.16 ± 0.79mmHG) and the baseline DBP (81.89 ± 0.50 mmHg) of the participants were beyond healthy levels, falling into Stage 1 hypertension. The mean SBP of the participants significantly reduced during the forest therapy day (118.72 ± 0.67mmHG) and three days after the forest therapy day (119.51 ± 0.79mmHG). This reduction was also observed for the DBP readings, whereby the mean DBP readings for the forest therapy day (78.65 ± 0.44mmHG) and three days after (78.47 ± 0.48mmHG) were lower than the baseline values. There were no significant changes in the pulse rate. For the psychosocial perspective, the participants self-evaluated themselves to determine the effects of forest therapy on their mental wellbeing. Only 16% of the participants believed that they successfully performed self-regulation when faced with stressful situations, although 74% of the participants admitted to experiencing stress on a daily basis. After participating in forest therapy, the majority of the participants felt rejuvenated and more at ease at work. In conclusion, forest therapy is an effective stress management tool for middle-aged female employees.

中文翻译：

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森林疗法：管理中年职业女性压力的环境方法

摘要 本研究旨在确定森林疗法对中年职业女性压力水平的生理和心理社会影响。19 名中年职业女性（54.80 ± 0.68 岁）参加了在 Bukit Ekspo 进行的为期半天的森林治疗计划；一个以树木为主的城市公园，位于马来西亚博特拉大学的中心。生理指标为每天3次评估参与者的收缩压（SBP）、舒张压（DBP）和脉搏率；早餐前、午餐前和晚餐前。这些读数是在森林治疗计划前两天、期间和三天后获得的。研究前两天获得的生理读数作为基线读数，因为它代表了参与者的正常日常生理状况。参与者的基线收缩压 (124.16 ± 0.79 mmHG) 和基线舒张压 (81.89 ± 0.50 mmHg) 超出健康水平，属于第一阶段高血压。参与者的平均收缩压在森林治疗日 (118.72 ± 0.67mmHG) 和森林治疗日后三天 (119.51 ± 0.79mmHG) 显着降低。对于 DBP 读数也观察到这种降低，森林治疗日 (78.65 ± 0.44 mmHG) 和三天后 (78.47 ± 0.48 mmHG) 的平均 DBP 读数低于基线值。脉率没有显着变化。从社会心理的角度来看，参与者自我评估以确定森林疗法对他们心理健康的影响。只有 16% 的参与者认为他们在面临压力时成功地进行了自我调节，尽管 74% 的参与者承认每天都经历压力。参加森林疗法后，大部分参加者感觉精神焕发，工作更踏实。总之，森林疗法是中年女性员工有效的压力管理工具。