Bird Watching to Reduce Stress in University Students

Not Applicable

Recruiting

• Conditions: Stress, Psychologic

• Registration Number: NCT06614517
• Lead Sponsor: Universidad Industrial de Santander

Brief Summary

The goal of this study is to learn if birdwatching can reduce stress in university students. It will also explore students; experiences with the intervention. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does birdwatching reduce students perceived stress levels? What are the experiences of students who participate in the birdwatching intervention? Why do some students drop out of the study? Researchers will compare a group of students who participate in birdwatching outings to a control group that does not receive the intervention to determine if birdwatching is effective in reducing stress.

Participants will:

Either participate in birdwatching outings or be in a control group with no intervention Complete a perceived stress scale (PSS-10) to measure their stress levels Take part in semi-structured interviews to discuss their experiences with the intervention or their reasons for dropping out of the study

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2024-09-23
• Study First Submitted QC: 2024-09-23
• Study First Posted: 2024-09-26
• Study Start: 2025-02-10
• Status Verified: 2025-03
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-06-19
• Last Update Posted: 2025-06-25
• Primary Completion: 2025-06-30
• Study Completion: 2025-12-01

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 102

Inclusion Criteria

• University students who meet the following inclusion criteria will be included in the study: being 18 years of age or older, being enrolled in any undergraduate program at the Universidad Industrial de Santander, having a score of 10 or higher on the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), and having access to WhatsApp.

Exclusion Criteria

• University students with a medical diagnosis of any mental illness under pharmacological or non-pharmacological treatment, with health conditions that prevent them from seeing, hearing, or moving, as well as students who have engaged in birdwatching in the last six months, will not be included.

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
The Perceived Stress Scale	From enrollment to the three follow-up evaluations at 6, 9, and 17 weeks after assignment to the intervention or control group.	Perceived Stress Scale: (PSS-10). This instrument measures the level of perceived stress during the last month. It consists of 10 questions with a five-option Likert-type response format. The score ranges from 0 to 40. A higher score indicates a higher level of perceived stress.
Adherence to the intervention	From enrollment to the three follow-up evaluations at 6, 9, and 17 weeks after assignment to the intervention or control group	To determine adherence to the intervention, the proportion of students who successfully completed the number of sessions and challenges outlined in the intervention protocol will be calculated, as well as the number of university students who dropped out of the intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7)	From enrollment to the three follow-up evaluations at 6, 9, and 17 weeks after assignment to the intervention or control group	The GAD-7 is used to measure anxiety symptoms. It consists of 7 items, each rated on a scale from 0 to 3, with total scores ranging from 0 to 21. Higher scores indicate more severe anxiety symptoms.
Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)	From enrollment to the three follow-up evaluations at 6, 9, and 17 weeks after assignment to the intervention or control group	The PHQ-9 is a self-report outcome questionnaire used to screen for depressive symptoms. It consists of 9 items. Responses are scored on a scale from 0 to 3, with total scores ranging from 0 to 27. Higher scores indicate more severe depression.
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)	From enrollment to the three follow-up evaluations at 6, 9, and 17 weeks after assignment to the intervention or control group	It consists of 19 self-administered questions, rated on a scale from 0 to 3, generating an overall score from 0 to 21. Higher overall scores represent worse subjective sleep quality.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Universidad Industrial de Santander; 🇨🇴 Bucaramanga, Santander, Colombia