1. Locating oneself in the past to influence the present: Impacts of Neolithic landscapes on mental health well-being
- Author
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Mariam Vahdaninia, Toby Sutcliffe, Martin Allfrey, Laura Drysdale, Yvette Staelens, Vanessa Heaslip, Daniel O'Donoghue, Briony Clifton, Chris Hogg, Timothy Darvill, Sara Lunt, and Martin Hind
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Health (social science) ,Medical disciplines: 700::Health sciences: 800::Community medicine, Social medicine: 801 [VDP] ,psykisk helse ,Geography, Planning and Development ,Applied psychology ,Qualitative property ,folkehelse ,Environment ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Global issue ,Surveys and Questionnaires ,medicine ,Humans ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Baseline (configuration management) ,History, Ancient ,Qualitative Research ,World heritage sites ,030505 public health ,velvære ,Mental Disorders ,Public health ,Community Participation ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,mental helse ,Mental illness ,medicine.disease ,Mental health ,helse ,Mental Health ,Well-being ,Female ,0305 other medical science ,Psychology - Abstract
There are well-established links between mental health and the environment. Mental illness is a global issue, and international policies increasingly focus on promoting mental health well-being through community-based approaches, including non-clinical initiatives such as therapeutic landscapes and the use of heritage assets. However, the empirical evidence-base for the impact of such initiatives is limited. This innovative study, known as Human Henge, used a mixed-methods approach to investigate the impact of immersive experiences of prehistoric landscapes on the well-being of participants with mental health issues. Uniquely, the study followed participants for a year after their participation in the project to explore the long-term impact of their experiences on their mental well-being. Findings highlight that, overall, participants experienced improved mental health well-being from baseline to mid- and end-of programme (p = 0.01 & 0.003), as well as one-year post-programme (p = 0.03). Qualitative data indicated the reconnection of participants with local communities, and with other people, in ways that improved their mental health well-being. These data highlight the effectiveness of using heritage as a means of improving the well-being of people with mental health issues.
- Published
- 2019