A Basic Study on the Effect of Plants on the Mental Health -With Special Reference to the Mentally Retarded Persons-

식물이 정신건강에 미치는 영향에 관한 기초 연구 -정신박약자에 미치는 영향을 중심으로-

Effects of the gardening program on the mentally retarded persons were assessed on the inadaptive behavior and the social maturity for 1 to 2 years and 2 months in Seoul Welfare Center for the Mentally Retarded. The results were as follows; 1. The mentally retarded persons treated with the gardening program for 1 to 2 years and 2 months showed and improvement of the inadaptive behavior as compared with the pre-gradening program. The second(the enervation and the social isolation) and fourth (the excessive behavior and the deviant behavior) sects among the four of Inadaptive Behavior Checklist showed and improvement of the inadaptive behavior. And first sect(crying, excitement, and anger) of Inadaptive Behavior Checklist greatly showed and improvement of the inadaptive behavior. 2. The mentally retarded persons were improved in their social maturity through the gradening program for 1 to 2 years and 2 months as compared with pre-gradening program. Both a social age and social quotient were quite a bit increased. 3. Females showed improvment in the inadaptive behavior and the social maturity by the gardening program when compared to males, but the difference between male and female was not striking. 4. Both the higher IQ group from 55 to 70 and the lower IQ group from 40 to 54 showed improvment in the inadaptive behavior by the gardening program, but the difference between two groups was not obvious. However, the higher IQ group through the gardening program increased the social maturity more than the lower IQ group. 5. In both the gardening program periods for 1 to 1 year and 2 months and those for 2 years and 2 months the inadaptive behavior and the social maturity showed an improvment when compared to pre-gardening program, but the difference between two groups was not conspicuous.