Stress reduction, restoration and fostering of wellbeing in healthy individuals Mental and Behavioural Disorders
Conditions
Interventions
Intervention study, employing a pretest-posttest design, to compare the effects of 30-minute walks in natural or urban environments with different road traffic noise levels and with or without a mindf
Sponsors
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 120 Years
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: 1. Aged 18 years and older 2. Physically able to walk for half an hour at a moderate pace 3. Have no diagnosed hearing problems 4. Do not take cortisone for medical reasons 5. BMI <35 kg/m²
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: 1. Younger than 18 years 2. Diagnosed hearing problems 3. Take cortisone for medical reasons 4. BMI >35 kg/m²
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| 1. Perceived restoration following the walk, measured by a slightly modified version of the restoration outcome scale (ROS) after the walk on site and 10 days afterwards 2. Physiological stress, measured by assessing participants’ salivary cortisol as a physiological stress marker at three points: directly after participants arrive at the test site, right before the walk starts, and directly after the walk on site. | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| 1. Positive and negative affect is assessed using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) questionnaire before and after the walk on site. 2. The perceived restorative quality of the environments examined in this study is assessed by the Perceived Restorativeness Scale-11 after the walk on site and 10 days afterwards 3. Rumination is assessed with the German version of the Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire (PTQ) before and after the walk on site and 10 days afterwards 4. Nature connectedness is measured with the short-form Nature Relatedness Scale (NR-6) and the Love and Care for Nature Scale (LCS) before the walk on site, after the walk on site and 10 days afterwards 5. Noise annoyance is assessed with the 11-point ICBEN (International Commission on Biological Effects of Noise) scale after the walk on site. 6. Participants’ individual experience of soundscape during the walk is assessed in accordance with the ISO/TS 12913-2 (International Organization for Standardization, 2018) after the walk on site 7. Life satisfaction is measured with the German General Life Satisfaction Short Scale (L-1) before and after the walk on site, and 10 days afterwards 8. Noise sensitivity is assessed with one item, asking participants how strongly they agree with the statement “I am noise sensitive”. The item is rated on a 5-point rating scale ranging from 1 (do not agree at all) to 5 (agree very much). Noise sensitivity is assessed after the walk on site. 9. State mindfulness is assessed with the State Mindfulness Scale before and after the walk on site 10. Trait mindfulness is assessed with the short form of the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills before the walk on site and 10 days afterwards 11. Skin conductance level is measured continuously throughout the walk on site via electrodermal activity sensors (Shimmer3 GSR+ sensor, Simmer sensing, Dublin, Ireland), reflecting physiological arousal. 12. Attention is assessed with the Necker Cube Pattern Control Test be | — |
Countries
Switzerland
Contacts
Public ContactJulia Schaupp
Outcome results
None listed