TITLE:
Psychological Effects of the Gardening Activity on Mother and Their Infant: Preliminary Evidence from an Exploratory Pilot Study
AUTHORS:
Yuka Kotozaki
KEYWORDS:
Postpartum Women, Infant, Gardening Activity, Intervention, Psychological Change, Postpartum Care
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.11 No.9,
September
23,
2020
ABSTRACT: The Gardening activity is regarded as effective in improving psychological function. However, the psychological effects of the infant from mothers who engage in gardening activity are not well known. This study conducted an exploratory pilot study to confirm the psychological effects of the gardening activity on mother and their infant. Fifteen postpartum women with infants under one-year-old participated in this study. They participated in eight gardening activities. This study asked mothers questions about their infant’s emotional state, attachment to their infant, postpartum depression, and parenting stress before and after the gardening activity. 100% of the participants completed the gardening activity sessions. As a result, the rhythmicity score of the Revised Infant Temperament Questionnaire (RITQ), a measure of infant’s emotional aspects was a significant increase than pre-test (t = -2.827, p = 0.013). Attachment score was significantly improved than pre-test (t = 2.432, p = 0.029). Stress regarding parents score was also significantly improved than pre-test (t = 2.299, p = 0.037). These findings provide evidence that the effects of gardening activities on the psychological effects of postpartum women and their infant. Future studies with larger subject cohorts are warranted to confirm the findings of this pilot exploratory study.