Effectiveness of a climbing (bouldering) intervention on psychological wellbeing for adolescents in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon: (How) does it work?
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN13005983 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN13005983 |
| Secondary identifying numbers | 3011171 |
- Submission date
- 29/03/2022
- Registration date
- 01/04/2022
- Last edited
- 16/09/2024
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Mental and Behavioural Disorders
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
The Lebanon Climbing Project aims to investigate the effect of climbing therapy on the wellbeing of adolescent refugees and Lebanese youth from marginalized communities. Over the course of the 8 week intervention period, adolescents living in or near the Bekaa valley refugee camps take part in weekly 2-hour therapy sessions. In these sessions, participants learn various climbing techniques as well as educational content intended to strengthen the participants' self-worth, give them a sense of belonging and promote their 'life skills'. Further topics are conflict management, mindfulness, communication and peacebuilding.
Lebanon, a country already burdened by economic crisis, outdated infrastructure and poverty took in an enormous number of refugees in the wake of the war in Syria. These refugees have been exposed to adverse living conditions and severe ongoing stressors, creating a need for scalable, low-threshold mental health interventions like climbing therapy.
There is already published research that suggests the effectiveness of such interventions. Sports has been shown to mend a variety of conditions ranging from depression to post-traumatic stress syndrome, while at the same time improving self-esteem and overall quality of life. In a humanitarian aid context, physical activity programs have had positive effects on self-confidence, resilience and interpersonal skills. Additionally, climbing therapy’s effectiveness in treating depression has already been found to be on par with cognitive behavioral therapy in an adult non-refugee group.
Who can participate?
Adolescents (14-19 years) living in or near refugee camps in the Central Bekaa Valley (Tanaayel)
What does the study involve?
Equal distribution to groups according to basic variables by hand to maximise adherence:
1. Intervention group: eight sessions of group climbing therapy
2. Waitlist Control group: same intervention after 8 weeks of waiting
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Benefits:
Participants taking part in the climbing therapy group will receive a therapeutic treatment, that is likely to improve quality of life and wellbeing. At a minimum, participants enjoy 16 hours of physical activity shared with others.
Risks:
In previous studies, which contained more than 1000 hours of therapeutic bouldering there were no injuries that required medical treatment. Also, the intervention is carried out by two instructors, who are specially trained in safety rules by a climbing instructor of the Swiss Alpine Club. Nevertheless, there is a risk of slight injuries, which does not exceed the risk of other physical activities.
Where is the study run from?
Friedrich Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany and Antonine University, Lebanon
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
April 2021 to November 2023
Who is funding the study?
Mammut sports group (Switzerland)
Psychiatric University Hospital Erlangen (Germany)
Who is the main contact?
PD Dr Katharina Luttenberger, katharina.luttenberger@uk-erlangen.de
Contact information
Principal Investigator
Psychiatric University Clinic Erlangen
Schwabachanlage 6
Erlangen
91054
Germany
 ORCID ID |
0000-0002-9877-5423 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +49 91318534650 |
| katharina.luttenberger@uk-erlangen.de |
Study information
| Study design | Single-center interventional waitlist controlled group intervention |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Interventional |
| Secondary study design | Non randomised study |
| Study setting(s) | Community |
| Study type | Quality of life |
| Participant information sheet | Not available in web format, please use contact details to request a participant information sheet. |
| Scientific title | Waitlist-controlled intervention study regarding psychological wellbeing of young Syrian refugees and marginalised Lebanese youth: Effectiveness of a psychosocial climbing intervention in the Bekaa valley, a mixed model approach |
| Study acronym | YOUClimb |
| Study objectives | The intervention group improves significantly more in psychological wellbeing than the waitlist group |
| Ethics approval(s) | Approved 15/02/2022, Ethics Committee at the Antonine University (CEUA, B.P. Antonine University 40016 Hadat-Baabda, Lebanon; +961 5927000; contact@ua.edu.lb), ref: 2792022, Folder 157 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Psychological wellbeing of Syrian refugees and marginalised Lebanese youth living in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon |
| Intervention | Psychosocial climbing intervention with 8 sessions, 2 h each, 1 per week. The Intervention is performed in a group of about 10-12 participants with 2 facilitators and up to 4 volunteers by the non-profit organisation ClimbAID in Tanayel, Lebanon. The intervention focuses on trust/respect, communication and conflict resolution and involves specific bouldering exercises, psychosocial interventions and mindfulness exercises. The waitlist control group gets the same intervention after an 8 weeks waiting period. Group allocation is pseudorandomized, adjustments according to specific needs might be necessary. The Control group gets the chance of participating in the same intervention after post-test data collection. Data collection is via self-report questionnaires and qualitative interviews. Additional session reporting data is analysed. |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure | Overall mental wellbeing is measured with the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS) at baseline and after the intervention (8 weeks) |
| Secondary outcome measures | 1. Distress severity measured using the K-6 Distress Scale at baseline and after intervention (8 weeks) 2. General self-efficacy using the General Self-Efficacy (GSE) scale at baseline and after intervention 3. Social stability attitudes using two modified questions from the ARK regular perception survey at baseline and after intervention 4. Qualitative interviews regarding reach, effectiveness and barriers are conducted 5. Session reporting is analysed regarding implementation and adoption (RE-AIM model) |
| Overall study start date | 01/04/2021 |
| Completion date | 01/11/2023 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Other |
|---|---|
| Age group | Mixed |
| Lower age limit | 14 Years |
| Upper age limit | 19 Years |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | 160 |
| Total final enrolment | 233 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Aged between 14 and 19 years 2. Written informed consent of parents or young adult 3. Ability to reach the climbing intervention |
| Key exclusion criteria | Physical contraindications against climbing |
| Date of first enrolment | 15/04/2022 |
| Date of final enrolment | 01/09/2022 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- Lebanon
Study participating centre
Beirut-Damaskus Road
Taanayel, Central Bekaa
-
Lebanon
Sponsor information
Hospital/treatment centre
Schwabachanlage 10
Erlangen
91054
Germany
| Phone | +49 91318534142 |
|---|---|
| sekretariat.mpms@uk-erlangen.de | |
| Website | http://www.uk-erlangen.de/en/ |
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/0030f2a11 |
University/education
Hadat
Baabda
40016
Lebanon
| Phone | +961 3 149452 |
|---|---|
| charbel.najem@ua.edu.lb | |
| Website | https://www.ua.edu.lb |
|
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/03gc39678 |
Funders
Funder type
Industry
No information available
No information available
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 01/09/2024 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Stored in publicly available repository, Available on request |
| Publication and dissemination plan | Results will be published in international peer-reviewed journals on mental health, sports for development or physical activity. |
| IPD sharing plan | The datasets generated during and analysed during the current study will be available upon request from PD Dr. Katharina Luttenberger, katharina.luttenberger@uk-erlangen.de or made available in the public repository zenodo. This applies to fully anonymised data after publication of the main hypotheses. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protocol file | version 1 | 24/01/2022 | 31/03/2022 | No | No |
| Protocol article | 28/02/2023 | 13/03/2023 | Yes | No | |
| Results article | 14/09/2024 | 16/09/2024 | Yes | No |
Additional files
Editorial Notes
16/09/2024: Publication reference added.
20/11/2023: The final enrolment number has been added.
13/03/2023: Publication reference added.
31/03/2022: Trial's existence confirmed by Universite Antoine
