The effect of architectural design on reducing anxiety in schizophrenia patients: An investigation of familiar cognitive patterns in therapeutic spaces

Kaveh Baghbahadorani, Mohammad; Ameri Siyahoyi, Hamidreza; Fooladi, Vahdaneh; Sedaghat, Mastooreh

doi:10.22034/ijumes.2025.2051331.1286

The effect of architectural design on reducing anxiety in schizophrenia patients: An investigation of familiar cognitive patterns in therapeutic spaces

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Mohammad Kaveh Baghbahadorani ¹

Hamidreza Ameri Siyahoyi ²

Vahdaneh Fooladi ³

Mastooreh Sedaghat ⁴

¹ Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Architecture, Ki.C., Islamic Azad University, Kish, Iran

² Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, Science and Research Branch, Payam Noor University, Hormozgan, Iran

³ Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

⁴ Associate Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology, Islamic Azad University, South Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran

10.22034/ijumes.2025.2051331.1286

Abstract

Architectural design plays an important role in promoting the mental health of patients, especially those with schizophrenia, and recent studies show that design elements such as natural light, natural landscapes, soothing color combinations, and familiar cognitive patterns can help reduce anxiety and improve the mental state of these patients. Examining the effect of designing therapeutic environments on reducing anxiety in schizophrenic patients, focusing on cognitive patterns, can be useful in improving the targeted structure in the context of healing architecture. The aim of the present study is to explain and evaluate a design model for therapeutic spaces based on familiar cognitive patterns. The present study is a descriptive-analytical study with an applied purpose, which will further examine the effect of architectural design on reducing anxiety in schizophrenic patients. The research data collection tool was the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A) questionnaire before and after observing the designed spaces, and the statistical population included 30 patients with schizophrenia at the Omid Farda Center in Tehran. The findings show that using this model can effectively reduce anxiety in schizophrenia patients and improve their quality of life. The final results indicate that designs based on familiar patterns were significantly (p < 0.001) effective in reducing the level of anxiety in patients. In future studies, the internal relationships between the research indicators can be examined and their significance can be examined.

Graphical Abstract

The effect of architectural design on reducing anxiety in schizophrenia patients: An investigation of familiar cognitive patterns in therapeutic spaces

Highlights

Architectural design plays a vital role in promoting the mental health of patients, especially schizophrenia patients.
Design elements such as natural light, natural landscapes, soothing colors, and familiar cognitive patterns are effective in reducing anxiety and improving the mental state of patients.
This study evaluates a design model for therapeutic spaces based on familiar cognitive patterns.
The use of the proposed design model was significantly (p < 0.001) effective in reducing the anxiety level of patients.
The results indicate an improvement in the quality of life of schizophrenia patients after being placed in spaces designed based on familiar patterns.

Keywords

Anxiety reduction

architectural design

cognitive patterns

mental health

schizophrenia patients

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