Theses and Dissertations

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Brzuszek, Robert F.

Committee Member

Brzuszek, Robert F.

Committee Member

Shauwecker, Timothy J.

Committee Member

Payne, Elizabeth

Date of Degree

12-8-2017

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Landscape Architecture

Degree Name

Master of Landscape Architecture

College

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Department

Department of Landscape Architecture

Abstract

The purpose of this preference study is to identify the effects that the presence of a healing garden may have, on the perceived stress of African American women living in in low-income public housing. Literature states that women who live in public housing experience higher rates of malnutrition, fatigue, susceptibility to infection, and premature death (Adler et al., 1994; Whelch and Kneipp, 2005). Few of these studies address healing gardens as solutions. The explanation of behavior while visiting a healing garden in this study will help to identify particular aspects of gardens that are perceived as therapeutic. This research compared two groups of women residing in low-income public housing, where they were asked to rate their perceived level of stress throughout intervals of the study. Findings suggest that the presence of healing gardens in low-income public housing developments can be an effective stress management tool for African American women.

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11668/18550

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