Comparing guided and unguided forest bathing for graduate student stress management: a pilot study

Background: The escalating mental health crisis among graduate students has become a pressing public health concern, necessitating the development of effective, accessible, and low-cost stress management strategies. While exposure to green spaces is known to benefit psychological well-being, the differential efficacy of structured versus unstructured forest activities remains understudied. Methods: This investigation evaluated the emotion regulation benefits of short-term forest healing experiences among graduate students in Beijing. The study compared the effects of forest versus urban environments and compared therapist-guided versus unguided modalities. Results: Results indicated that: (1) Brief outdoor activities significantly reduced negative emotions (tension, depression, anger, fatigue, confusion) across all groups; (2) Compared with the urban environment, the forest environment demonstrated greater efficacy in regulating emotions, supported by superior environmental quality (e.g., higher negative air ions, lower noise) ; and (3) Notably, the presence of a forest therapist did not yield statistically superior benefits compared to unguided forest exposure. Conclusion: These findings suggest that self-guided forest bathing serves as a sufficient, cost-effective, and easily accessible intervention for daily stress reduction. Consequently, promoting unguided nature exposure offers a scalable public health solution to mitigate the mental health burden in high-stress academic populations.