The Effect of a Contemplative Nature-based Intervention on Spiritual Well-being

Not Applicable

Not yet recruiting

• Conditions: Healthy; Spiritual Well-being
• Interventions: Behavioral: Walking in nature; Behavioral: Contemplating in nature

• Registration Number: NCT06365736
• Lead Sponsor: University of Twente

Brief Summary

The goal of this randomized control trial is to test if contemplating in nature could benefit spiritual well-being in general adults. The main question it aims to answer is:

Does a 2-week contemplative nature intervention improve spiritual well-being?

Researchers will compare intervention conditions to active control (walking in nature) and passive control (waitlist) conditions to see if contemplating in nature works to improve spirituality.

Participants in the intervention condition will walk for 10 minutes and then choose a nice spot to sit for 10 minutes. During these minutes they will be asked to be silently present and observe trees, plants, flowers, or other aspects of nature and contemplate their connectedness to nature and their own awareness. Then walk back 10 minutes.

Participants in the active control condition will walk for 30 minutes without further instruction.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Status Verified: 2024-04
• Study First Submitted: 2024-04-05
• Study First Submitted QC: 2024-04-12
• Last Update Submitted: 2024-04-12
• Study First Posted: 2024-04-15
• Last Update Posted: 2024-04-15
• Study Start: 2024-05-10
• Primary Completion: 2024-09-04
• Study Completion: 2024-09-04

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 200

Inclusion Criteria

• is 18 years or older;
• has access to a nearby natural environment for walking and sitting activities such as a forest, park, or walking area;
• possesses the physical ability to walk for half an hour;
• has access to a computer or tablet with a stable internet connection and an email address;
• is willing to commit half an hour to engage in nature walks 10 times over 14 days.

Exclusion Criteria

• NA.

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Walking in nature	Walking in nature	Participants will be asked to walk for 30 minutes in nature per day for 10 times over 14 days without further instruction.
Contemplative nature intervention	Contemplating in nature	Participants will spend 30 minutes in nature per day for 10 times over 14 days. Participants will walk for 10 minutes and then choose a nice spot to sit for 10 minutes. During these minutes they will be asked to be silently present and observe trees, plants, flowers, or other aspects of nature and contemplate their connectedness to nature and their own awareness. Then walk back 10 minutes.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Spiritual well-being assessed by Spiritual Attitude and Involvement List Short Form (SAIL-SF)	Change from baseline to longer-term follow-up at 3 months.	On a 6-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (not at all) to 6 (to a very high degree), respondents rate in how far they think specific statements about spiritual well-being apply to themselves. Higher scores indicate higher scores of spiritual well-being.
Spiritual well-being assessed by Daily Spiritual Experience Scale (DSES)	Change from baseline to longer-term follow-up at 3 months.	The non-theistic items from DSES will be used. Ranging from 1 (multiple times a day) to 6 (never). The item responses were reverse coded prior to analysis so that larger values would reflect a higher level of daily spiritual experiences.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Twente; 🇳🇱 Enschede, Overijssel, Netherlands