SynthesisInternational journal of environmental research and public health2020
Are Community Gardening and Horticultural Interventions Beneficial for Psychosocial Well-Being? A Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
27 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 105 citations in OpenAlex.
- Green spaces, blue spaces and human health: an updated umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses.Frontiers in public health · 2025Pooled it
- The impact of gardening on well-being, mental health, and quality of life: an umbrella review and meta-analysis.Systematic reviews · 2024Pooled it
- Effectiveness of horticultural therapy in aged people with depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2023Pooled it
- Horticultural therapy for stress reduction: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2023Pooled it
- Community gardens and their effects on diet, health, psychosocial and community outcomes: a systematic review.BMC public health · 2022Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Horticultural Therapy in People with Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- The effectiveness of nature-based therapy for community psychological distress and well-being during COVID-19: a multi-site trial.Scientific reports · 2023Trial
- The role of horticultural therapy in the clinical rehabilitation of patients with depression: A scoping review.The Journal of international medical research · 2026Article
- Beyond the Program: Understanding Mechanisms Through Which Nongovernmental Organizations Advance Equity in Stroke Care.Journal of the American Heart Association · 2025Review
- Indoor hydroponic vegetable gardening to improve mental health and quality of life in cancer patients: a pilot study.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- The concept of the digital therapeutic garden and its psychological effects.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- A qualitative study of the barriers to commissioning social and therapeutic horticulture in mental health care.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Effectiveness of social and therapeutic horticulture for reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Review
- The progress and trend of pro-environmental behavior research: a bibliometrics-based visualization analysis.Current psychology (New Brunswick, N.J.) · 2023Article
- Therapeutic Community Gardening as a Green Social Prescription for Mental Ill-Health: Impact, Barriers, and Facilitators from the Perspective of Multiple Stakeholders.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- The Impact of Therapeutic Community Gardening on the Wellbeing, Loneliness, and Life Satisfaction of Individuals with Mental Illness.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- The More Natural the Window, the Healthier the Isolated People-A Pathway Analysis in Xi'an, China, during the COVID-19 Pandemic.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- The Multi-Sites Trial on the Effects of Therapeutic Gardening on Mental Health and Well-Being.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Horticulture therapy affected the mental status, sleep quality, and salivary markers of mucosal immunity in an elderly population.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- The impact of gardening on mental resilience in times of stress: A case study during the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore.Urban forestry & urban greening · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Recent literature has revealed the positive effect of gardening on human health; however, empirical evidence on the effects of gardening-based programs on psychosocial well-being is scant. This meta-analysis aims to examine the scientific literature on the effect of community gardening or horticultural interventions on a variety of outcomes related to psychosocial well-being, such as social cohesion, networking, social support, and trust. From 383 bibliographic records retrieved (from 1975 to 2019), seven studies with a total of 22 effect sizes were selected on the basis of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Meta-analytic findings on 11 comparisons indicate a positive and moderate effect of horticultural or gardening interventions on psychosocial well-being. Moderation analysis shows a greater effect size in individualistic than collectivistic cultures. A greater effect size was also observed in studies involving community gardening compared to horticultural intervention. Nevertheless, an effect of publication bias and study heterogeneity has been detected. Despite the presence of a large number of qualitative studies on the effect of horticulture/gardening on psychosocial well-being, quantitative studies are lacking. There is a strong need to advance into further high-quality studies on this research topic given that gardening has promising applied implications for human health, the community, and sustainable city management.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.