None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
This study assesses whether a Tai Chi-based stress reduction program, including two educational workshops on stress management and healthy lifestyle and 8-week Tai Chi, can reduce the stress, anxiety, and depression levels among university students. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the Tai Chi program or a waitlist control group, 20 in each group. We hypothesize that those in the Tai Chi group will report lower stress levels and enhanced overall health compared to the control group. Questionnaires and other vital measures will be tested at baseline and 8 weeks. We will also perform interviews with participants in the beginning and at the end of this study to understand their expectation and satisfaction towards this stress reduction program.
Interventions
The Tai Chi-based Stress Reduction program include:
(1) Two mental health workshops at baseline and 4 weeks before the Tai Chi class, 60min for the first one, and 90min for the second one.
o The first workshop lasts 60min. It includes 10min introduction (welcome & overview of the workshop goals and objectives), 40min of four topics (to understand stress, anxiety and depression, stress management methods, and lifestyle behaviors), and 10min of Q&A, closing and summary.
o The second workshop last
The Tai Chi-based Stress Reduction program include: (1) Two mental health workshops at baseline and 4 weeks before the Tai Chi class, 60min for the first one, and 90min for the second one. o The first workshop lasts 60min. It includes 10min introduction (welcome & overview of the workshop goals and objectives), 40min of four topics (to understand stress, anxiety and depression, stress management methods, and lifestyle behaviors), and 10min of Q&A, closing and summary. o The second workshop lasts 90min. It includes 10min of introduction (reflection and overview of the goals), discussion of practical skills (20min), 50min of interactive activities (group discussion, role-playing, and case studies), and 10min of Q&A, closing and summary. (2) A Tai Chi class, one in-person and one online live session per week for 8 weeks. o The in-person Tai Chi class will be held outdoor (delivered indoor if weather does not permit) at the Westmead campus of Western Sydney University during lunchtime or in the afternoon (TBC). o The online class will be held after regular business hours (TBC – either morning or evening) via zoom meetings. Participants will be encouraged to attend both the in-person and online live classes, but the online live one is optional. The content covered in both session within the same week is identical. o The contents include a warm-up exercise (10min), standing posture (5min), Tai Chi movements (cloud hands and 8-form Chen-style Tai Chi) (35min), meditation (5min), Q&A and summary (5min). Each session will follow the structured plan of intervention. Procedures and Activities: Two mental health educational workshops focusing on stress management and healthy lifestyle behaviors. An 8-week Tai Chi training program combining in-person and online sessions. Delivery Personnel: Mental health workshops are co-facilitated by a member of the research team and experienced facilitators from Headspace Castle Hill and Parramatta. Tai Chi classes are conducted by an experienced instructor with over 16 years of teaching experience. Mode of Delivery: Workshops are delivered in person. Tai Chi classes are conducted both in-person at the Westmead campus of Western Sydney University and online via Zoom. Classes are offered once per week in-person and once per week online, each lasting 60 minutes. Frequency and Duration: The first workshop is 60 minutes and occurs at baseline. The second workshop is 90 minutes and takes place six weeks later. Tai Chi classes occur weekly for 8 weeks, with each session lasting 60 minutes. Location: Workshops and in-person Tai Chi classes are held at the Westmead campus of Western Sydney University. Online Tai Chi classes are delivered via Zoom. Personalisation and Adaptation: The intervention is standardised; however, participants can choose to attend online sessions optionally to accommodate personal schedules. Fidelity Assessment: Attendance at each Tai Chi session is recorded by the instructor. Follow-up phone calls are made to track reasons for any missed sessions. Strategies to maintain engagement include reminder emails and optional session attendance.
Sponsors
Western Sydney University
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
16 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Participants will be included if they: - Aged 16 years old or above. - Students, who are undertaking tertiary or higher education, including undergraduate students, honors students, master’s students, doctoral students, regardless of domestic or international students, full-time or part-time students. - Meet any of the following diagnostic criteria: a. With elevated levels of stress-related symptoms and DASS-21 stress score greater than or equal to 19; elevated levels of anxiety-related symptoms and DASS-21 anxiety score greater than or equal to 10; or elevated depression-related symptoms, and DASS-21 depression score greater than or equal to 14. b. With elevated levels of depression diagnosed by a validated clinician-based or self-reported depression symptom questionnaire, such as Hamilton Rating-Scale for Depression, the Beck Depression Inventory, or the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, c. With a diagnosis of depressive disorders in accordance with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Third Edition (DSM-III or DSM-III-R), Fourth Edition or Fifth Edition (DSM-IV or DSM-V), or the International Classification of Disease 10 (ICD-10), d. With a diagnosis of anxiety disorders in accordance with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Fourth Edition or Fifth Edition (DSM-IV or DSM-V), or e. have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and/or a depressive disorder by a medical doctor (e.g., general practitioner (GP), psychologist, or psychiatrist). - Are willing and able to give written informed consent.
Exclusion criteria
Participants will be excluded if they: - Are unable to speak and read English, - refuse or are unwilling to engage in Tai Chi group class or mental health educational workshops, - are regular Tai Chi practitioner or have practiced Tai Chi within the past 6 months, - are currently enrolled in any other stress reduction program, - are pregnant or lactating, - have any physical limitations that would significantly limit Tai Chi participation.
Outcome results
None listed