Psychological Effects of Gardening During the COVID-19 Pandemics: An Integrative review

Abstract

Jardinagem; COVID-19; Psicologia; Saúde mental; Revisão integrativaGardening as a mental health-promoting activity has been the subject of increasing research, and with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, it has emerged as another context of possible application. This study presents a literature review of the literature on the psychological effects of gardening during the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey was carried out in the Capes Periodicals Portal, which encompasses 130 databases. Forty-two searches were performed using descriptors in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, in the period from March 2020to June 2021. In total, nine studies were included, seven empirical and two experience reports. Gardening was a recurrently mentioned practice among the activities performed by participants during the pandemic, with an increase observed in both the number of practitioners and frequency of practice. Despite its relevance to participants, a gap in research specifically focused on the relationship between mental health and gardening itself was observed. The studies showed heterogeneity in research instruments, a predominance of exploratory, cross-sectional studies, and online collections. Several psychological benefits of gardening were reported, and no evidence of harm was identified among the included studies. Given the relevance of the topic, further empirical studies are recommended.