The Concept of the Digital Therapeutic Garden and its Psychological Effects

Jisoo Lee¹Yeji Yang¹Ji-eun Pyo²Ye-Seul Kim¹Kee-Hong Choi^1,2*Shin-Koo Kang³Su-Hwan Nam³Yu-Jin Song³Bu-Gi Jeoun³Sung-Hee Park³

• ¹Department of psychology, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
• ²Mind Health Institute, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
• ³Korea Arboreta and Gardens Institute, Sejong, Republic of Korea

Therapeutic gardens have been discussed as an effective social intervention for promoting physical and mental health, and integrating digital technologies offers a promising way to enhance both accessibility and effectiveness. This study aimed to explore various forms of digital therapeutic gardening and qualitatively analyze its types and therapeutic elements. Furthermore, it sought to investigate perceptions and preferences regarding digital therapeutic gardens and to examine the relationship between participation in such gardens and mental health. Survey data were collected from 335 community-dwelling adults in Korea using a cross-sectional design. Demographic information and experiences with digital gardens were collected, and mental health variables—including depression, anxiety, stress, vitality, life satisfaction, loneliness, and social networks—were assessed. To investigate differences in mental health by experience with digital therapeutic gardens, t-tests and ANCOVA were performed. The result shows that participants with experience in digital therapeutic gardens reported social, psychological, and physical benefits and they reported significantly higher levels of life satisfaction and vitality than those without experience. This study highlights the potential therapeutic benefits of digital gardens and suggests that, when integrated with community gardens and mental health services, they may serve as a promising candidate for evidence-based interventions.