Awe walking and college student mental health

Examination of the efficacy of a community-based leisure walking intervention to promote positive mental health in university students through the elicitation of awe

Status

Recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN24656472

Enrollment

175

Registered

2024-10-09

Start date

2024-01-24

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2024-10-21

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Mental health Mental and Behavioural Disorders

Interventions

Participants were randomly assigned using the random number generator command in Microsoft Excel to one of three experimental conditions for the duration of the 8-week intervention: the treatment (awe

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. 18 years old or older 2. A full-time student at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign 3. Capable of moving by themself – on foot, in a chair, etc – for at least 30 minutes once a week

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: Less than 18 years old

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
1. Acute stress measured using the Perceived Stress Scale 10-item scale 2. Generalized anxiety measured using Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale 3. Positive and negative affect measured using the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) Pre-surveys were conducted before the 8-week walking program and post-surveys administered after the program, measured at baseline and at the end of 8 weeks.	—

Measure

Time frame

1. Acute stress measured using the Perceived Stress Scale 10-item scale 2. Generalized anxiety measured using Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale 3. Positive and negative affect measured using the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) Pre-surveys were conducted before the 8-week walking program and post-surveys administered after the program, measured at baseline and at the end of 8 weeks.

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Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. Awe measured using the State awe – Awe Cluster: awe, amazement, wonder (Sturm et al., 2022) 2. Dispositional awe measured using the Trait Positive Emotion Scale Awe Subscale (Shiota et al., 2007) 3. Prosocial emotion measured using Prosocial positive: compassion, admiration, amusement, appreciation, gratitude (Sturm et al., 2022) 4. Joy measured using Joy: joy, happiness, warmth, contentment, relaxation, calm, pride (Sturm et al., 2022) 5. Distress measured using the Distress Cluster: sadness, anger, anxiety, fear, annoyance (Sturm et al., 2022) 6. State anxiety measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Scale (State Subscale) (Spielberger et al., 1983; Zsido et al., 2020) 7. State rumination measured using the Brief State Rumination Index (Marchetti et al., 2018) Collected through weekly surveys during the 8-week program, with one survey administered each week. Participants in the waitlist control groups completed the survey at a consistent day/time, while those in the awe walking and activity control groups completed it after their 30-minute walk.	—

Measure

Time frame

1. Awe measured using the State awe – Awe Cluster: awe, amazement, wonder (Sturm et al., 2022) 2. Dispositional awe measured using the Trait Positive Emotion Scale Awe Subscale (Shiota et al., 2007) 3. Prosocial emotion measured using Prosocial positive: compassion, admiration, amusement, appreciation, gratitude (Sturm et al., 2022) 4. Joy measured using Joy: joy, happiness, warmth, contentment, relaxation, calm, pride (Sturm et al., 2022) 5. Distress measured using the Distress Cluster: sadness, anger, anxiety, fear, annoyance (Sturm et al., 2022) 6. State anxiety measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Scale (State Subscale) (Spielberger et al., 1983; Zsido et al., 2020) 7. State rumination measured using the Brief State Rumination Index (Marchetti et al., 2018) Collected through weekly surveys during the 8-week program, with one survey administered each week. Participants in the waitlist control groups completed the survey at a consistent day/time, while those in the awe walking and activity control groups completed it after their 30-minute walk.

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Countries

United States of America

Contacts

Public ContactNicholas Pitas

npitas@illinois.edu+1 (0)703 300 4741

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026