2026-04-17T11:25:58Zhttps://recercat.cat/oai/request

oai:recercat.cat:11351/139012025-10-24T10:18:56Zcom_2072_378070com_2072_378040col_2072_378092

The Psychological Benefits of Forest Bathing in Individuals with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: A Pilot Study Royuela Colomer, Estíbaliz Alonso-Marsol, Sandra Feliu-Soler, Albert Serrat, Mayte Ferrés Puigdevall, Sònia Nieto, Rubén Fibromiàlgia - Tractament Síndrome de fatiga crònica - Tractament Natura Atenció plena Caminades (Exercici) DISEASES::Musculoskeletal Diseases::Muscular Diseases::Fibromyalgia Other subheadings::Other subheadings::/therapy DISEASES::Musculoskeletal Diseases::Muscular Diseases::Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic ANALYTICAL, DIAGNOSTIC AND THERAPEUTIC TECHNIQUES, AND EQUIPMENT::Therapeutics::Complementary Therapies::Mind-Body Therapies HUMANITIES::Humanities::Nature PSYCHIATRY AND PSYCHOLOGY::Psychological Phenomena::Mental Processes::Mindfulness ENFERMEDADES::enfermedades musculoesqueléticas::enfermedades musculares::fibromialgia Otros calificadores::Otros calificadores::/terapia ENFERMEDADES::enfermedades musculoesqueléticas::enfermedades musculares::síndrome de fatiga crónica TÉCNICAS Y EQUIPOS ANALÍTICOS, DIAGNÓSTICOS Y TERAPÉUTICOS::terapéutica::tratamientos complementarios::terapias mente-cuerpo HUMANIDADES::humanidades::naturaleza PSIQUIATRÍA Y PSICOLOGÍA::fenómenos psicológicos::procesos mentales::atención plena Chronic fatigue syndrome; Fibromyalgia; Forest therapy Síndrome de fatiga crònica; Fibromiàlgia; Teràpia forestal Síndrome de fatiga crónica; Fibromialgia; Terapia forestal Background/Objectives: The main objective of the present study is to assess the short-term effects of Forest Bathing (FB) conducted in a Mediterranean forest on individuals with fibromyalgia (FM) and/or chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgia encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) on perceived pain, fatigue, state anxiety, positive and negative affect, mood states, and state mindfulness. Methods: A total of 44 participants with FM and/or CSF/ME agreed to participate in this study. The FB session consisted of a 3 km silent walk, lasting three hours and guided by a specialized psychologist and a mountain guide to guarantee the safety of the activity. Paired-sample t-tests were used to analyze the pre–post changes in perceived pain, fatigue, state anxiety, positive and negative affect, mood states, and mindfulness. Results: All reported variables but self-reported pain showed statistically significant pre–post variations after the FB session. Particularly, large-to-very-large improvements in positive and negative affect, state anxiety, tension, depression, anger, and vigor were found. Small-to-moderate effect sizes for fatigue, friendliness, and state mindfulness were also reported. Conclusions: This study provides preliminary evidence of the short-term benefits of FB in individuals with FM and/or CFS/ME, especially on state anxiety and negative affect. The project was funded in part by the Spanish Ministry for Science and Innovation (MCIN) State R + D + I Program Oriented to the Challenges of Society (Ref. PID 2020-117667RA-I00) and co-financed by European Union ERDF funds. We are grateful to the CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP CB22/02/00052; ISCIII) for its support. 2025-10-24T10:18:56Z 2025-10-24T10:18:56Z 2025-10-24T10:18:56Z 2025-10-22T07:52:35Z 2025-10-22T07:52:35Z 2025-07 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion http://hdl.handle.net/11351/13901 Healthcare;13(14) https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13141654 Attribution 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess MDPI Scientia