Examining the effects of outdoor recreational experiences on military veterans with PTSD: a pilot study
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN15325073 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN15325073 |
| Secondary identifying numbers | Essex_NC1408_1 |
- Submission date
- 31/01/2020
- Registration date
- 06/02/2020
- Last edited
- 28/03/2023
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Mental and Behavioural Disorders
Plain English Summary
Background and study aims
Exposure to the natural environment is increasingly thought to benefit psychological health. Recent reports also suggest that outdoor activities that include recreational pursuits (such as surfing or fishing) coupled with the opportunity to socialize with others in similar circumstances may be helpful to military veterans experiencing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This study will evaluate this possibility.
Who can participate?
Military veterans with a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder
What does the study involve?
Three groups of veterans with PTSD will each undertake a group outdoor activity (angling, equine care or archery and falconry). We will measure changes to their symptoms (PTSD, depression, anxiety) 2 weeks before the activity, 2 weeks after the activity, and at 4 month follow up.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Equine husbandry: There is some risk around horses. We will be working to the garrison stables health and safety guidelines and all participants are covered by the stables’ indemnity insurance, in case of an injury occurring. There will be a first aid trained member of staff in attendance at all times.
The participants for this study are military veterans with PTSD and other anxiety-related issues. They, therefore, have mental health problems but this is a defining aspect of the study and cannot be undertaken with participants without these issues. It is not thought there are any risks in this study above and beyond those normally encountered in everyday life.
It is thought that exposure to an outdoor recreational experience will be beneficial in terms of decreased anxiety, depression and PTSD-symptoms and increased well-being.
Where is the study run from?
Department of Psychology, University of Essex (UK)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
June 2014 to June 2015
Who is funding the study?
This study did not receive any funding
Who is the main contact?
Dr. Nicholas Cooper
ncooper@essex.ac.uk
Contact information
Scientific
Department of Psychology
University of Essex
Wivenhoe Park
Colchester
CO4 3SQ
United Kingdom
 ORCID ID |
0000-0002-4315-3299 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +44 (0)1206 873781 |
| ncooper@essex.ac.uk |
Study information
| Study design | Single-centre interventional design study |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Interventional |
| Secondary study design | Participants will be allocated to one of the three levels of the between groups factor |
| Study setting(s) | Community |
| Study type | Treatment |
| Participant information sheet | Not available in web format, please use contact details to request a participant information sheet. |
| Scientific title | Examining the effects of outdoor recreational experiences on the mental health and well-being of military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): a pilot study |
| Study hypothesis | It is hypothesized that participants will experience a reduction in PTSD-related symptomology and an increase in subjective well-being as a consequence of a short, outdoor, recreational activity. |
| Ethics approval(s) | Approved 01/03/2015, the University of Essex Ethics Committee (Science & Health Ethics Sub-Committee, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, CO4 3SQ; reo-governance@essex.ac.uk; +44 (0)1206 87356), ref: MW1502, MW1503 |
| Condition | Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) |
| Intervention | Participants will be recruited and randomly allocated to one of the three levels of the between-groups factor. They will be sequentially numbered and allocated to condition by means of an online blocked randomization tool. The three intervention groups are angling, equine husbandry, and falconry and archery. The three different activity interventions will run sequentially and employ the same eligibility criteria, recruitment process, and evaluation. Each activity intervention lasts 1 to 2 days and are designed to deliver professional coaching in an outdoor recreational activity in a peer group context and to facilitate opportunities to socialize and to discuss military experience or PTSD experience if the participant so wishes. Each participant will complete questionnaires to assess their PTSD, depression, anxiety, and stress. These will be given at 2 weeks before they receive the intervention, at 2 weeks following the intervention and at 4 months follow up. |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure | 1. PTSD symptoms assessed by the PTSD Checklist Military (PCL-M) at baseline, 2 weeks and 4 months 2. Depression assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) at baseline, 2 weeks and 4 months 3. Anxiety assessed by the General Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) at baseline, 2 weeks and 4 months |
| Secondary outcome measures | Perceived stress assessed by the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) at baseline, 2 weeks and 4 months |
| Overall study start date | 16/06/2014 |
| Overall study end date | 08/06/2015 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Other |
|---|---|
| Age group | All |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | 50 |
| Total final enrolment | 30 |
| Participant inclusion criteria | 1. Military veteran 2. Diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) |
| Participant exclusion criteria | Currently receiving psychological therapy for PTSD |
| Recruitment start date | 28/08/2014 |
| Recruitment end date | 08/03/2015 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- England
- United Kingdom
Study participating centre
Colchester
CO4 3SQ
United Kingdom
Sponsor information
University/education
Wivenhoe Park
Colchester
CO4 3SQ
England
United Kingdom
| Phone | +44 (0) 1206 873591 |
|---|---|
| lglover@essex.ac.uk | |
| Website | http://www.essex.ac.uk/ |
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/02nkf1q06 |
Funders
Funder type
Not defined
No information available
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 01/03/2020 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Stored in repository |
| Publication and dissemination plan | The results of the intervention will be published in a peer-reviewed international journal. They will also be presented at relevant national and international conferences and will be disseminated widely through social and conventional media platforms. |
| IPD sharing plan | The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study will be stored in a publically available repository. Our data are stored in an online repository OSF Home. https://osf.io/63hrb/?view_only=2c8ffabdc8a64e77ba649c47f6df6c75 . Data are de-identified participant data (IPD) and age and gender removed from the data sets because the small sample size risks identification. The data can be downloaded by anyone with the link. The link will also be provided in the published paper. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results article | results | 25/11/2020 | 26/01/2021 | Yes | No |
| Protocol (other) | 28/03/2023 | No | No |
Editorial Notes
28/03/2023: A link to the protocol file was added.
26/01/2021: The following changes were made to the trial record:
1. Publication reference added.
2. The total final enrolment was added.
05/02/2020: Trial’s existence confirmed by the University of Essex Ethics Committee.
