Psychophysical Well-being
Conditions
Keywords
forest bathing, stress, meditation, scrolling
Brief summary
The present study aims to compare the effects of meditation, nature exposure, digital scrolling, and reading on physiological and perceived stress. Participants will undergo a baseline assessment including the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), a visual analogue scale (VAS) for anxiety, and salivary cortisol collection at 8:30 a.m, prior to cortisol peak. Participants will then engage in one of four activities: guided meditation, a walk in a forest environment, digital scrolling on a smartphone, or reading a neutral text. Following the activity, salivary cortisol will be collected again and anxiety will be reassessed using the VAS. The study will evaluate changes in cortisol levels, perceived stress and perceived anxiety across the four conditions and explore the potential moderating role of baseline mindfulness traits. The central research question of this study is whether different experiential conditions elicit distinct psychophysiological responses, as reflected by changes in perceived stressm salivary cortisol and perceived anxiety and therefore this investigation could improve the understanding of how different experiential contexts influence short-term stress regulation.
Detailed description
Stress is a global phenomenon. Chronic exposure to stress is associated with adverse physical and mental health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, and impaired cognitive functioning. Consequently, identifying accessible and effective strategies for stress reduction has become a major public health priority. To explore new ways of managing it is of crucial relevance, therefore the effects of meditation, nature exposure, digital scrolling, and neutral reading on physiological and perceived stress will be investigated. Participants will be allocated to one of 5 intervention groups: (1) guided meditation, (2) guided meditaiton (3) forest walking, (4) smartphone scrolling, or (5) reading a neutral text. All study procedures will take place in the morning to account for the circadian rhythm of cortisol secretion. At baseline, participants will complete demographic and study-related assessments, including the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) and a VAS measuring current stress and anxiety levels. A baseline saliva sample for cortisol determination will be collected at 8:45 a.m., shortly before the expected morning cortisol peak. Participants will then engage in their assigned activity. The 2 meditation groups will complete a 20-minute guided meditation session using two different meditation techniques. The forest exposure group will undertake a 20-minute walk in a forest environment. The digital activity group will spend 20 minutes scrolling on a smartphone, while the control group will spend 20 minutes reading a neutral text. The duration of the intervention will be standardized across all groups. Immediately following completion of the assigned activity, participants will undergo a second assessment at approximately 9:00 a.m. A post-intervention saliva sample will be collected for cortisol analysis, and participants will again complete the VAS for anxiety and stress. Salivary Cortisol and DHEA levels will be evaluated at 4 time points the above already mentioned two, and in the evening and before sleeep. The primary objective of the study is to compare changes in perceived stress. Secondary objectives include evaluating changes in cortisool levels, DHEA, perceived anxiety and exploring the relationship between baseline mindfulness traits, as measured by the FFMQ, and physiological and psychological responses to the interventions. The study aims to provide preliminary evidence regarding the immediate effects of contemplative practice, exposure to natural environments, and digital engagement on stress-related outcomes in healthy adult participants
Interventions
BEHAVIORALMindfulness-based intervention
The intervention consists of 1 in person session of mindfulness of 20 minutes.
BEHAVIORALForest bathing
Participants engaged in guided forest immersion including mindful walking, sensory awareness, meditation, and nature-based contemplative activities.The intervention consists of 1 in person session of 20 minutes.
BEHAVIORALScrolling
Strolling consisted of a slow, relaxed walk in a natural environment without specific mindfulness or sensory-awareness instructions.
Sponsors
University of Pavia
University of Padova
Study design
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Masking description
The Outcome Assessor and Data Analyst are blinded to group allocation. Participants are not informed of their assigned condition prior to allocation; however, blinding is not feasible after the intervention begins because the nature of the assigned activity becomes apparent. Personnel delivering the interventions are aware of group assignment but are not involved in outcome assessment or data analysis
Intervention model description
Participants will be allocated to one of four intervention conditions using a non-randomized allocation procedure. To minimize expectancy effects, participants will remain unaware of their assigned condition until the intervention begins The study involves five groups: two receiving a mindfulness-based intervention, one participating in a forest-bathing activity, one assigned to a neutral reading condition, and one assigned to a smartphone scrolling condition. The reading and scrolling groups serve as comparison conditions The outcomes are measured before and after the intervention, comparing the effects between the 5 groups.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
20 Years to 80 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Understanding of the Italian language
Exclusion criteria
* Presence of severe mental disorders and/or significant medical conditions * Endocrine or metabolic disorders * Substance dependence
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in perceived stress. | Baseline and immediately after the single intervention session (same day). | Change in perceived stress measured using a Visual Analog Scale for Stress (VAS-Stress), ranging from 0 to 100, where 0 indicates no perceived stress and 100 indicates the highest level of perceived stress imaginable. The outcome will be calculated as the difference between post-intervention and pre-intervention scores. Negative values indicate a reduction in perceived stress following the intervention. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in anxiety levels | Baseline and immediately after the single intervention session (same day). | Change in anxiety levels measured using a Visual Analog Scale for Anxiety (VAS-Anxiety), ranging from 0 to 100, where 0 indicates no anxiety and 100 indicates the highest level of anxiety imaginable. The outcome will be calculated as the difference between post-intervention and pre-intervention scores. Negative values indicate a reduction in anxiety following the intervention. |
| Change in salivary cortisol concentrations | Baseline and immediately after the single intervention session (same day). | Change in salivary cortisol concentration (nmol/L) measured from saliva samples collected immediately before and immediately after the intervention session. The outcome will be calculated as the difference between post-intervention and pre-intervention cortisol concentrations |
| Change in salivary DHEA concentrations | Baseline and immediately after the single intervention session (same day). | Change in salivary dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) concentration (pg/mL) measured from saliva samples collected immediately before and immediately after the intervention session. The outcome will be calculated as the difference between post-intervention and pre-intervention DHEA concentrations |
| Correlation between trait mindfulness and physiological stress responses | Baseline and immediately after the single intervention session (same day). | Correlation between trait mindfulness (measured by Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire total score) and change in salivary cortisol concentration |
| - Correlations among psychological and biological outcome measures, including VAS-Stress, VAS-Anxiety, cortisol, and DHEA | Baseline and immediately after the single intervention session (same day). | — |
Countries
Italy
Outcome results
None listed