RESEARCH

Can Nurturing a Houseplant Promote College Students’ Mental Wellbeing?

This study aimed to explore whether nurturing a houseplant could improve college students’ mental well-being by reducing depressive moods and stress levels while enhancing motivation. The goal was to assess if this simple, nature-based intervention could serve as a practical tool to support students’ psychological health in academic settings.
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Summary

This thesis explores whether nurturing a houseplant can positively impact college students’ mental well-being by reducing depressive moods, stress levels, and improving motivation. The study involved 12 psychology students at Effat University, divided into a control group and a study group tasked with caring for houseplants over six weeks. Participants completed surveys measuring depression, stress, and motivation at three intervals: before, during, and after the intervention. The results showed no statistically significant differences between the control and study groups in any of the measured areas. Interestingly, some participants in the study group reported feeling distressed due to the responsibility of caring for plants, which may have contributed to negative effects.

Despite these findings, participants expressed enjoyment in the experience overall, with most choosing to keep their plants after the study concluded. The thesis identifies several limitations that may have influenced the results, such as the small sample size, short duration of the experiment, and participants’ lack of expertise in plant care. The author recommends future studies with larger samples, longer durations, and improved experimental designs to better understand how nurturing plants might support mental health. If proven effective, this approach could be scaled across universities to promote student well-being.

Link

Rozi, F. (2024). Can nurturing a houseplant promote college students’ mental wellbeing? Repository.effatuniversity.edu.sa

 

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