• Journal of People, Plants, and Environment
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.301-309
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• 2021

Background and objective: The purpose of this study is to analyze the case of healing experience for lifestyle and environmental diseases through life and activities in the forest from the perspecitive of critical realism, and how the causal power and mechanism of the healing experience relate to forest healing factors and programs. Methods: 93 video data of people who started living in the forest for disease treatment were analyzed using a qualitative content analysis method from the perspective of critical realism. Categories for analysis include general categories (age, duration, occupation, disease name), forest therapy categories (climate therapy, plant therapy, water therapy, diet therapy, kinesiotherapy, psychotherapy), and other categories (ecology, learning and management, life tools), etc., and the unit of analysis is the context unit. Results: 1) The diseases that motivated life in the forest were digestive system diseases, lung diseases, cardiovascular diseases, endocrine system diseases, and various lifestyle-related diseases and environmental diseases in similar proportions. This indicates that forest life does not have specificity to respond to specific diseases, but provides treatment and recovery for all lifestyle and environmental diseases. 2) Among the forest therapies, climate therapy and plant therapy are related to the climatic and residential environment in the forest where 'natural persons' live. And others such as water therapy, diet therapy, kinesiotherapy, psychotherapy indicate the change from the lifestyle that caused the disease to the lifestyle for treatment and recovery. Conclusion: Life and activities in the forest provide an environment for treatment and recovery in which the healing principles such as aromatherapy, nutritional and dietary therapy, kinesiotherapy, and emotional psychotherapy are integrated in the 'real world'.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.104 no.1
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• pp.133-139
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• 2015

In modern society, we are disconnected from nature and under a lots of stress. And this is cause of the various diseases. Also than in the past, People experiencing mental health problems and Psychiatric Inpatient rates appear to have increased. This study was performed to investigated the influence of forest experience program on Psychiatric Inpatients's mood and depressive state, stress responses. The subject of this study were 25 patients in the N Hospital in Naju, who were divided into an experimental group (n=12) and a control group (n=13), and experiment was conducted form 20 to March 29, 2013. Its effect was verified by utilizing the K-POMS-B and BDI, saliva. According to results of this study, there were improvements in their depressive state and degree of stress state. There was a meaningful difference(p<0.01). However, Cotrol group, these difference were not found.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.12
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• pp.494-501
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• 2020

This study is aimed at exploring the effects of forest experience activities on promoting children's community spirit. To achieve this, a pre-post survey was empirically carried out with 40 children at Kindergarten A in the city of Chungnam. The comprehensive findings showed a significant difference between the experimental group, which had forest experience activities, and the control group, which had outdoor activities based on the existing Nuri curriculum. Based on a pre-test for intimacy, emotion, mutual public awareness, and participation consciousness as sub-factors of community spirit, which adopted all the research hypotheses, the results suggest that the forest kindergarten will become an educational place for children. Consequently, personality education using nature in forest kindergartens can become an excellent goal, helping to boost the development of children's sensitivity and emotional stability through awakening the five senses; building up self-awareness, self-reliance, and trust; learning consideration and respect for others; and developing positive attitudes, sociality, potential, imagination, and creativity through forest activities with their peers.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.109-118
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• 2014

Purpose: This study examined the effectiveness of a forest-experience-integration intervention in community dwelling cancer patients. Methods: The study was done with a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. The subjects of the present study were 53 community dwelling cancer patients who were registered in a community health center in Gyeongsangbuk-do. The subjects were divided into an experimental group (n=26) who participated in the forest-experience-integration intervention and a control group (n=27) who did not participate. Data were collected from May to June in 2011. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS PC+ 19.0 through $x^2$ test, and independent t-test. Results: There were significant differences between the groups in depression (t=-4.51, p<.001), self-regulation resilience (t=6.95, p<.001), interpersonal resilience (t=10.10, p<.001), positivity resilience (t=9.67, p<.001), and total resilience (t=13.93, p<.001) measurements. Conclusion: The forest- experience-integration intervention delivered to community dwelling cancer patients was an effective method for relieving depression and enhancing self-regulation resilience, interpersonal resilience, positivity resilience, and total resilience, and can be utilized as an effective nursing intervention for community dwelling cancer patients.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.303-311
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• 2020

This study examines the effects of children's play activities through forest experience on their parents' expectation and multiple intelligence improvement. To achieve this, an empirical survey was conducted by applying a structural equation model to 152 parents with children. As a result, first, physical and cognitive factors were adopted, and social factors were rejected in the factors that influence the physical, social, and cognitive factors of children's forest experience play activities on parents' expectation of children's safety activities and concern about fine dust. Second, their physical, social and cognitive factors affected their sociality among sub-factors of multiple intelligence improvement. Their social and cognitive spontaneities significantly affected their sensitivity and creativity improvements. Third, parents' expectation did not appear to play a significant mediating role in the effect of play activity through forest experience on multiple intelligence improvement. This study has confirmed that their physical and cognitive factors of play activities through forest experience are directly affected by their parents' concern about fine dust and expectation of their safe activities, and has suggested that their sociality can be thoroughly learned through various educational programs in daycare centers, which is somewhat far from their parents' expectation of their play activities through forest experience.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.338-348
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• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore and describe healing effects of the forest on alcoholics through a forest experience program. Methods: The qualitative data was gathered from one focus group discussion with 6 alcoholics and individual interviews with 8 alcoholics. They had all participated in a "healing forest" program. All interviews were recorded and transcribed according to thematic content analysis processes. Results: The four main themes on the attributes of forest were "a lively living being", "placidity and tranquility", "acceptive atmosphere", and "beautifulness as it is" which revealed the participants' perceived nature of the forest which was attributed to the healing effects. Eight other themes on participants' positive changes included "revived senses", "aspired to live", "relieved and relaxed from being tense", "gaining insight on self", "having an acceptive attitude", "becoming compliant with his/her life", "learning that life is being together" and "recognizing the value of one's existence". Conclusion: The findings of the study illustrated the participants' self-healing processes through interactions with the nature of the forest. Nursing interventions utilizing healing atmospheres such as "healing forest" programs can be considered helpful in providing a venue to alcoholics to reflect on their lives affirmatively.

• Journal of People, Plants, and Environment
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.505-513
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• 2019

As the number of foreign workers increases in Korea, people's interest in their adaptation to this society has also increased. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a forest-healing program on foreign workers' cultural adaptation stress and psychological wellbeing. The experiment was conducted in a recreation forest located in Hongcheon-gun, Gangwon-do. The subjects who participated in this study included 40 foreign workers (16 males, 24 females). The experiment was conducted for three days and two nights from June 26 to 28, 2019. The forest healing program was composed of activities that can enhance immunity and restore physical and mental health by utilizing various healing environmental factors such as landscapes, sunlight, anion and oxygen in forest. The independent sample t-test was conducted to examine changes in cultural adaptation stress and psychological well-being before and after the program. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 18.0 program. As a result, cultural adaptation stress was statistically significantly reduced in sub-factors including discrimination experience, language conflict and legal status. Psychological wellbeing improved in all the surveyed sub-factors such as self-confidence, ego, immersion, and joy. The results of this study are expected to be used as basic data for reducing the stress foreign workers experience from cultural adaptation and restoring their psychological wellbeing in the future.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.108 no.4
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• pp.645-654
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to analyze the current status of and necessity for forest education in Korea in order to promote educational programs on the topic among different age groups. A survey conducted among 1,542 adults nationwide indicated that different age groups had variable degrees of awareness and experience of forest education programs. Specifically, older people responded more positively in terms of awareness, experience, and willingness to engage with forest education programs, and engaging in individual holistic development. In addition, participant companion types and motivation for participating in forest education programs were different among age groups. Regarding motivation for participating in forest education programs, all groups answered, "to enjoy the forest landscape," "to experience new things," and "to refresh themselves." In particular, individuals in their 30s had a desire to learn, while those in their 50s had a desire for a healthy lifestyle. Additionally, people in their 40s showed the highest participation rate in forest education programs, alongside their children and family members. In terms of operating period, older individuals preferred long-term operating programs. Accessibility was the most important factor for all age groups when selecting forest education programs. We hope that this study will be useful for the development and promotion of forest education programs for all age groups.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.10
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• pp.309-317
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• 2019

This study examined the effects of cooperative art activities according to visiting a forest on fulfilling young children's leadership ability and happiness. To achieve this, a study was conducted on experimental and non-experimental groups of 20 young children in classes A and B at S kindergarten, and also a group of children of the same age in a similar environment. The 16-session forest experience play activity program was planned for conducting research on the children's leadership ability and happiness fullness when using the Nuri curriculum, and this was carried out on the experimental group for 2 months. The pre- and post-analyses were carried out on the non-experimental group after outdoor activities on the topic of the Nuri curriculum-related activities. The results were as follows. First, cooperative art activities through the forest experience had a positive effect on the children's reinvention ability, human relations, goal achievement and direction power, which are all sub-factors of their leadership. Second, cooperative art activities through the forest experience had a positive effect on positive emotions, commitment, personal relations, meaning and achievement, which are sub-factors of their total happiness. Overall, their cooperative art activities during the forest experience were judged to be facilitating factors that have a positive effect on their leadership and happiness fullness.

• Journal of People, Plants, and Environment
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.683-694
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• 2020

Background and objective: Cancer is the number one cause of death in Korea, and it affects any part of the body regardless of gender and age. Forest healing is a treatment that maximizes the effect of treatment and improves the quality of life. This study aims to provide basic data for the development and implementation of differentiated forest healing programs for cancer patients based on the survey on their interest and needs for the programs. Methods: The subjects were those diagnosed with cancer from October 2018 to April 2019, and this study used 144 copies of the questionnaire retrieved. The sample size of this study (n = 144) was the appropriate size required by G-Power, and the collected responses were analyzed using SPSS 25.0. Results: In the frequency analysis on the interest in forest healing, 79.2% of the subjects had no experience participating in forest healing, but 87% were aware of it, and 82.6% showed the intention to participate in forest healing programs. This indicates that even though not many of them have experience participating in forest healing, they showed high interest and needs for participation. They preferred to participate in spring (29.9%) and fall (27.8%), in programs carried out for 1.5-2 hours in the morning on weekdays. Conclusion: This study has implications for the analysis on forest healing needs of cancer patients, and it is necessary to plan, develop, and implement differentiated forest healing programs that meet the needs of the cancer patients depending on their characteristics. There is also a need to plan forest healing program that can promote both psychological stability and physical health of cancer patients and verify and evaluate their effects based on specialized training of forest healing instructors.