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Exploring forensic psychiatric patients’ subjective experiences of whether a social and therapeutic horticulture intervention assists with their recovery from a serious mental illness
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2024.
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867613966895677440 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Briar, Isabella Ciara |
| author2 | Lesch, Anthea |
| author_browse | Briar, Isabella Ciara Lesch, Anthea |
| author_facet | Lesch, Anthea Briar, Isabella Ciara |
| author_sort | Briar, Isabella Ciara |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description |
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/131980 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:44:33.029Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/131980 Exploring forensic psychiatric patients’ subjective experiences of whether a social and therapeutic horticulture intervention assists with their recovery from a serious mental illness Briar, Isabella Ciara Lesch, Anthea Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Psychology. Forensic psychiatry -- Patients -- South Africa Mentally ill offenders -- Rehabilitation -- South Africa Gardening -- Therapeutic use -- South Africa Patient-centered health care -- South Africa Mental health -- South Africa UCTD Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Social and therapeutic horticulture (STH) has been well-documented as a viable intervention for the treatment of serious mental illness internationally. There is a dearth of similar research into STH in the South African context. This study used a qualitative research design to explore forensic psychiatric patients' experiences of whether an STH intervention assisted with their recovery from a serious mental illness. Criterion sampling was used to recruit participants from the adult forensic psychiatric wards at a psychiatric hospital in the Western Cape province. All of the participants were living with a serious mental illness although only five were able to name their mental illness as either schizophrenia (n=3) or bipolar disorder (n=2). Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 13 participants. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings of this study reveal that participants had predominantly positive experiences of the STH project. They reported feeling happy and relaxed and stress-free in the garden as well as physically and mentally stimulated by the range of tasks that they performed in the garden. Involvement in the STH project helped the participants to develop a sense of identity that was separate from their mental illness as they identified themselves as gardeners through their involvement in the project. The participants’ explanatory models of their mental illness were also explored and their responses were congruent with the existing literature. Casual explanations for their mental illnesses included a genetic predisposition, environmental factors, substance abuse and injuries to the brain. Other key themes that emerged from the data were the importance of social connections with fellow gardeners and staff members as well as a sense of hope for their future. Through working in the garden the participants were able to have an optimistic outlook for their future, including their lives outside of the hospital. The findings of this study demonstrate that STH has many positive effects for participants and that these effects can contribute positively towards recovery from a serious mental illness. This research is furthering our understanding of how STH interventions may be utilized as a cost-effective intervention for the treatment of mental illness within the South African context. The findings of this study suggest that STH can be successfully applied as an intervention within a forensic psychiatric setting. However, further research is required to determine the feasibility of this intervention in other contexts. Further studies should include a mixed-methods design with a larger sample size and could include the perspectives of healthcare workers as well as participants. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Maatskaplike en terapeutiese tuinbou (MTT) is reeds op internasionale vlak goed gedokumenteer as ’n haalbare intervensie vir die behandeling van ernstige geestesiektes. Daar is ’n tekort aan soortgelyke navorsing in die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks. Hierdie studie het ’n kwalitatiewe navorsingsmodel gebruik om forensiese psigiatriese pasiënte se ervarings te verken – om vas te stel of ’n maatskaplike en terapeutiese tuinbou-intervensie bygedra het tot hulle herstel van ’n ernstige geestesafwyking. Kriterium-steekproewe is gebruik om deelnemers te werf uit die volwasse psigiatriese sale van ’n psigiatriese hospitaal in die Wes-Kaap. Al die deelnemers het met ernstige geestesongesteldheid saamgeleef hoewel slegs 5 in staat was om hulle geestessiekte as of skisofrenie (n=3) of bipolariteit (n=2) te identifiseer. Data is ingesamel deur semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude met 13 deelnemers. Die onderhoude is opgeneem en getranskribeer vir refleksiewe tematiese ontleding. Die bevindings van hierdie studie onthul dat deelnemers oorwegend positiewe ervarings van die MTT-terapie-projek gehad het. Hulle het berig dat hulle in die tuin gelukkig, ontspanne en vry van stres voel asook mentaal gestimuleer deur die verskeidenheid take wat hulle uitgevoer het. Betrokkenheid by die projek het die deelnemers ’n sin van identiteit help ontwikkel wat losstaande was van hulle geestesongesteldheid. Hulle het hulself as tuiniers geïdentifiseer deur hulle betrokkenheid by die projek. Die manier waarop die deelnemers hulle geestesiektes uitdruk is ook verken en dit was in ooreenstemming met die bestaande literatuur. Informele verduidelikings van hulle geestesiektes het ingesluit oorerflikheid, omgewingsfaktore, dwelmmisbruik en breinbeserings. Ander sleuteltemas wat uit die data na vore gekom het was die belangrikheid van sosiale verbintenisse met mede-tuiniers en personeellede sowel as ’n gevoel van hoop vir die toekoms. Tuinwerk het die deelnemers ’n hoopvolle en optimistiese toekoms-uitkyk gebied, insluitend vir hulle lewens buite die hospitaal. Hierdie navorsing verbeter ons begrip van hoe MTT-intervensies gebruik kan word as ’n koste-effektiewe intervensie vir die behandeling van geestesiektes in die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks. Die bevindings van die studie toon dat MMT met sukses aangewend kan word as ’n intervensie in ’n https://scholar.sun.ac.za 6 forensieses psigiatriese milieu. Verdere navorsing word egter benodig om die haalbaarheid van hierdie intervensie in ander kontekste te bepaal. Verdere studies behoort ’n gemengde metode-model in te sluit met ’n groter steekproef-omvang en sou die perspektiewe van gesondheidsorgwerkers sowel as deelnemers kon insluit. Masters 2025-05-05T13:45:00Z 2025-05-05T13:45:00Z 2024-12 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131980 Stellenbosch University 147 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Forensic psychiatry -- Patients -- South Africa Mentally ill offenders -- Rehabilitation -- South Africa Gardening -- Therapeutic use -- South Africa Patient-centered health care -- South Africa Mental health -- South Africa UCTD Briar, Isabella Ciara Exploring forensic psychiatric patients’ subjective experiences of whether a social and therapeutic horticulture intervention assists with their recovery from a serious mental illness |
| title | Exploring forensic psychiatric patients’ subjective experiences of whether a social and therapeutic horticulture intervention assists with their recovery from a serious mental illness |
| title_full | Exploring forensic psychiatric patients’ subjective experiences of whether a social and therapeutic horticulture intervention assists with their recovery from a serious mental illness |
| title_fullStr | Exploring forensic psychiatric patients’ subjective experiences of whether a social and therapeutic horticulture intervention assists with their recovery from a serious mental illness |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring forensic psychiatric patients’ subjective experiences of whether a social and therapeutic horticulture intervention assists with their recovery from a serious mental illness |
| title_short | Exploring forensic psychiatric patients’ subjective experiences of whether a social and therapeutic horticulture intervention assists with their recovery from a serious mental illness |
| title_sort | exploring forensic psychiatric patients subjective experiences of whether a social and therapeutic horticulture intervention assists with their recovery from a serious mental illness |
| topic | Forensic psychiatry -- Patients -- South Africa Mentally ill offenders -- Rehabilitation -- South Africa Gardening -- Therapeutic use -- South Africa Patient-centered health care -- South Africa Mental health -- South Africa UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131980 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT briarisabellaciara exploringforensicpsychiatricpatientssubjectiveexperiencesofwhetherasocialandtherapeutichorticultureinterventionassistswiththeirrecoveryfromaseriousmentalillness |