Resumen
Introducción: El presente estudio piloto se realizó como parte del proyecto "Efectos de la terapia de inmersión en la naturaleza 'Vitamina N' sobre los niveles de estrés en trabajadores de la salud en la ciudad de Bogotá: un estudio de evaluación de intervención, 2022-2024". Objetivo: Evaluar los beneficios de la inmersión en la naturaleza en una población laboralmente activa, para reducir el estrés percibido, ansiedad, mejorar la calidad del sueño y en regular los niveles de cortisol en saliva. Metodología: Se llevó a cabo un estudio longitudinal utilizando muestreo consecutivo no probabilístico. La intervención se realizó una vez a la semana durante una duración de una hora al día a lo largo de un mes. Se realizaron mediciones antes y después de la inmersión en la naturaleza, la muestra se dividió en tres grupos (control, parques y bosques). Se utilizaron escalas psicológicas para evaluar: estrés percibido (PSS-14), fatiga subjetiva (Yoshitake), ansiedad (STAI) y la calidad del sueño (Pittsburgh). Adicionalmente, se midieron los niveles de cortisol en saliva en una submuestra. Se estimaron las diferencias de medias entre los grupos. Resultados: Los grupos de intervención en bosques y parques mostraron una reducción promedio de 2.6 puntos en la escala PSS-14, mientras que el grupo control redujo solo 0.4 puntos. Se observó una disminución en la fatiga general en el grupo de parques, pero no hubo cambios significativos en la fatiga física y mental. Los niveles STAI no variaron tras la intervención en ninguno de los grupos. Aunque hubo una ligera mejora en la calidad del sueño en los grupos de intervención, esta siguió siendo moderada y no significativa. Finalmente, se observó una reducción en los niveles de cortisol en los grupos de intervención tras la terapia. Conclusiones: Los resultados sugieren que la terapia de inmersión en la naturaleza podría tener efectos benéficos en la reducción del estrés y fatiga, así como una mejora en la calidad del sueño y regulación de los niveles de cortisol en trabajadores laboralmente activos.
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Esta obra está bajo una licencia internacional Creative Commons Atribución 4.0.
Derechos de autor 2025 Norida Nataly Vélez; Diana Marcela Paredes-Céspedes; Yesith Guillermo Toloza-Perez; Ronald López; Alejandra Parada-López; Viviana Racero; Paola Rodríguez; Layda Zuluaga; Marien Palma; Eliana Téllez; Jeadran Malagón-Rojas