Nature exposure reduces self-reported acute pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Aktivität: VorträgeVortragScience to Science

Beschreibung

A substantial body of research shows that interacting with nature contributes positively to physical and mental health. Evidence suggests that nature exposure is even associated with reduced levels of self-reported pain. However, the magnitude and robustness of this effect remain unclear. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to quantitatively investigate the impact of different forms of nature exposure on self-reported acute pain (including rating scales and pain threshold). The meta-analysis so far includes 37 studies from 18 countries, covering 51 individual effects and a total sample size of 2648 participants. While updated results will be presented at the conference, the analyses revealed a significant standardized mean difference in acute pain between nature and comparison conditions (SMD = -0.53). This effect was not moderated by publication year, context (clinical vs. laboratory), or design (within- vs. between-designs). However, we found the type of control used to act as a moderator: studies comparing nature exposure to other forms of distraction showed a smaller effect (SMD = -0.27) than studies that used no other forms of distraction (SMD = -0.59). The analyses also showed a high level of between-study heterogeneity, potentially attributable to variations in the types of acute pain and nature exposure used. Our results suggest that nature exposure has a consistent but small to medium effect on self-reported pain (corresponding to a reduction of one point on a scale ranging from zero to ten). We will discuss practical implications and how methodological variations among studies influence the outcome.
Zeitraum5 Juli 2024
EreignistitelInternational Conference Association People-Environment Studies
VeranstaltungstypKonferenz
OrtBarcelona, SpanienAuf Karte anzeigen
BekanntheitsgradInternational

Schlagwörter

  • nature benefits
  • pain
  • meta-analysis
  • restorative environments