Date of Award

2018

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Abstract

The present study extends previous research on the inclusion of elements of nature in medical treatment spaces to aid in the attainment of positive health outcomes, as the possibility that psychotherapy patients may similarly benefit from the purposeful incorporation of natural elements into the psychotherapy room has received little systematic study. To test this possibility, participants were randomly assigned to one of two mock psychotherapy rooms: an enriched condition consisting of plants, pictures of nature, and reduced lighting levels, or an impoverished condition containing no elements of nature and bright lighting. All participants completed a structured narrative designed to mimic a basic psychotherapeutic line of questioning regarding a memorable negative event they have experienced since turning age 18 and completed questionnaire measures of state affect, perceived restorativeness, and sensory-processing sensitivity. Using Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count, narratives were analyzed for the use of words related to affect, cognitive processing, and perceptual processes. It was hypothesized that participants in the enriched condition would report higher levels of positive state affect and lower levels of negative state affect; that narratives from participants in the enriched condition would contain more words related to affect, cognitive processing, and perceptual processes; and that participants in the enriched condition would perceive their environment to be more restorative. Finally, it was hypothesized that individuals scoring higher on a measure of sensory-processing sensitivity would be more sensitive to the experimental manipulation. Statistical analyses revealed no significant differences throughout, suggesting that individuals in psychotherapy may receive no additional support from the inclusion of natural elements and the use of dimmer lighting in the treatment space.

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