Comparing the Effects of Indoor vs. Outdoor Horticultural Therapy on College Students

Ye Zhiyin

Status: Active, not recruiting

Conditions: Healthy

Treatments: Behavioral: indoor-Horticultural Therapy group; Behavioral: General Psychological Group Counselling Team; Behavioral: outdoor-horticultural therapy

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06950801

cufe03

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study used a randomised controlled trial to investigate the effects of different forms of horticultural group interventions on college students' depression, anxiety and subjective well-being, and the internal mechanisms of the effects.

Participants are required to complete the following tasks:

Attend one indoor/outdoor group gardening activity per week, lasting 2 hours each session, for a total of 8 weeks.

Complete psychological scale assessments at five time points: before the activity begins, at 4 weeks after the start, upon completion of the activity, and at 1 week and 2 weeks after completion.

Enrollment: 120 estimated patients

Sex: All

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• University students

Exclusion criteria

• Diagnosed with a mental disorder

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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120 participants in 4 patient groups, including a placebo group

outdoor-horticultural

Experimental group

Description:

The participants in outdoor horticultural therapy engaged in weekly horticultural therapy activities outdoors for a total duration of eight weeks.

Treatment:

Behavioral: outdoor-horticultural therapy

indoor-Horticultural

Experimental group

Description:

The participants in indoor horticultural therapy engaged in therapeutic gardening activities indoors once a week for a total duration of eight weeks.

Treatment:

Behavioral: indoor-Horticultural Therapy group

General Psychological Group

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

Participants in the control group attended weekly psychological group sessions (without horticultural elements) for a total duration of eight weeks.

Treatment:

Behavioral: General Psychological Group Counselling Team

Blank control group

No Intervention group

Description:

These participants did not engage in any psychological activities; they only regularly took part in questionnaire completion.