Self-help Forest Bathing (Shinrin-yoku) on Depression, Anxiety, and Stress

NCT ID: NCT05743920

Last Updated: 2023-02-24

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: UNKNOWN
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 80 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2023-02-28
• Study Completion Date: 2023-12-31

Brief Summary

The objective of this pilot randomized controlled trial is to evaluate the efficacy and acceptability of self-help forest bathing on depression, anxiety, and stress in the Hong Kong adult population.

Prior to all study procedures, eligible participants will be required to complete an online informed consent form (with telephone support). Around 80 eligible participants aged between 18 to 65 years old with at least a mild level of depression, anxiety, or stress symptoms will be randomly assigned to either the self-help forest bathing intervention group (FB group) or the waitlist control group (WL group) in a ratio of 1:1.

Participants in the FB group will receive forest bathing guidance via an in-house smartphone app. The WL group will be asked to maintain their typical activity in week 1-7. This group will receive the guide upon trial completion in week 8.

The outcomes of the interest will include generalized anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, insomnia symptoms, wellbeing, health-related quality of life, functional impairment at baseline (week 0), immediate (week 7), and 1-month post-intervention assessments (week 10). Treatment credibility and acceptability will be collected at baseline and immediately after the intervention.

Conditions

Depression, Anxiety; Stress

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

Self-help Forest Bathing Group

Participants in the FB group will perform forest bathing activity at the Chinese University of Hong Kong for two session.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Self-help Forest Bathing

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

The self-help forest bathing includes two sessions (i.e., participants will perform the first intervention within week 1 to 3, and the second intervention within week 4 to 6) that are related to the following forest bathing activities : (a) forest meditation, (b) forest walking, (c) calling attention to sensory experiences of the forest, including seeing, hearing, touching, and smelling, and (d) building connection to the nature by partnership invitation. Each session will last for 45 minutes.

Wait List Group

Group Type: OTHER

Self-help Forest Bathing

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

The self-help forest bathing includes two sessions (i.e., participants will perform the first intervention within week 1 to 3, and the second intervention within week 4 to 6) that are related to the following forest bathing activities : (a) forest meditation, (b) forest walking, (c) calling attention to sensory experiences of the forest, including seeing, hearing, touching, and smelling, and (d) building connection to the nature by partnership invitation. Each session will last for 45 minutes.

Interventions

Self-help Forest Bathing

The self-help forest bathing includes two sessions (i.e., participants will perform the first intervention within week 1 to 3, and the second intervention within week 4 to 6) that are related to the following forest bathing activities : (a) forest meditation, (b) forest walking, (c) calling attention to sensory experiences of the forest, including seeing, hearing, touching, and smelling, and (d) building connection to the nature by partnership invitation. Each session will last for 45 minutes.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

1. Hong Kong residents;

2. Aged between 18 to 65 years;

3. Meet the threshold for mild depression (score of >5 on the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 [PHQ-9], anxiety (>5 Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 [GAD-7]), or stress (>15 on the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale [DASS-21] stress subscale, after multiplying score by 2);

4. Able to read and understand Chinese and type in Chinese or English

5. Have an Internet-enabled mobile device (iOS or Android operating system)

6. Willing to provide informed consent and comply with the trial protocol

Exclusion Criteria

1. Received psychotherapy for depression, anxiety and stress in the past 6 months;

2. A change in psychotropic drugs or over-the-counter medications that target depression, anxiety, and stress within 2 weeks before the baseline assessment.

3. Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) item 9 score > 2, indicating a moderate level of suicidal risk that requires active crisis management (referral information to professional mental health services will be provided);

4. Currently participating in another intervention study that may potentially affect mental health;

5. Self-disclosure of having unsafe health conditions for which physical activity was contraindicated by physicians;

6. Self-disclosure of any psychiatric, medical, or neurocognitive disorder(s) that makes participation unfeasible;

7. Pregnancy;

8. Hospitalization.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 65 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Chinese University of Hong Kong

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Fiona YY Ho

Assistant Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Fiona Yan-Yee Ho

Role: STUDY_CHAIR

Chinese University of Hong Kong

Central Contacts

Ka Man Ho, MA in Psychology

Role: CONTACT

1155016857@link.cuhk.edu.hk

852-39436575

Other Identifiers

PSY030

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id