The impact of physical environments on outpatient mental health recovery: A design-oriented qualitative study of patient perspectives

by Tiffany Y. Sui, Shannon McDermott, Brooke Harris, Honor Hsin

The physical environment has been shown to affect the emotional states of patients receiving mental health treatment, yet it remains unknown whether physical space design may play a role in optimizing the delivery of mental health care. Principles of architectural design and human-centered co-design have been applied to enhance the patient experience of facility environments; however, little is known about how patients view the impact of physical spaces on their recovery. In this qualitative study, we aimed to understand patient perspectives of how physical environments contribute to mental wellbeing and personal experiences of recovery, in the context of informing future design efforts. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 13 participants receiving outpatient mental health treatment at the Kaiser Permanente San Jose Adult Psychiatry Clinic. Interviews were transcribed and themes were extracted that could inform future design concepts. The sample was comprised of nine female and three male participants, and one unidentified-gender participant, between the ages of 26–64, and across several self-reported racial/ethnic subgroups. We found four dimensions of physical environments that participants reported as impactful: 1) sensory design elements (colors, sounds, and textures), 2) engagement qualities (intensity of distracted activity such as crafting or commuting), 3) social relational aspects (privacy or connection), and 4) affective experiences evoked by being present in the space itself (feeling safe, calm, in control, self-aware, or creative was beneficial). Many of these elements were similarly noted across clinic and non-clinic environments. This study identifies key dimensions of physical environments that can serve as potential metrics of design success in supporting and facilitating mental health recovery. In the midst of the current COVID-19 pandemic, where mental health treatment has increasingly shifted outside of traditional clinics, our findings can support patients and clinicians seeking to harness potential in situ therapeutic benefits of physical environments.