Using angling to improve mental health in military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN43826813 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN43826813 |
| Secondary identifying numbers | NIHR203435 |
- Submission date
- 27/05/2022
- Registration date
- 07/06/2022
- Last edited
- 13/07/2022
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Mental and Behavioural Disorders
Plain English Summary
Background and study aims
The aim of this study is to test whether angling in a natural and social setting will improve the mental health of military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Anyone who has experienced a traumatic event or episode in their life might develop PTSD but it is particularly noted in military veterans who have seen combat. PTSD is characterised by persistently feeling under threat and experiencing vivid memories, nightmares and ‘flashbacks’ of the trauma that may occur at any time.
Many people with PTSD avoid thinking or talking about their trauma, and situations that could provoke anxiety. This often results in losing partners, friends and employment. Despite this, people with PTSD, especially military veterans, often do not seek help or drop out early if they do. The aim of this study is to evaluate a new, engaging way to help people with PTSD recover their wellbeing. The researchers have worked with veterans who have lived with PTSD for many years and with veterans’ support charities to develop a new intervention.
Who can participate?
Military veterans with PTSD
What does the study involve?
The new intervention involves learning to fish and socialising in small groups in a tranquil, rural setting. It takes place over the course of 2 days and 1 night. The idea behind this approach is threefold: First, being amongst people with similar experiences makes it easier to share concerns and memories. Second, natural environments are restorative and free from attention-grabbing triggers (such as unpredictable urban sounds that trigger flashbacks). Third, developing a skill encourages post-traumatic growth.
What are the potential risks and benefits of taking part?
The benefits may include a decrease in symptoms associated with PTSD and other conditions such as anxiety and depression and an increase in a positive feeling of wellbeing and collegiality. Risks include the usual hazards associated with being outside in nature by the waterside (e.g. slips, trips and falls; waterside safety; immersion in water; waterborne infections; exposure to animal waste; thunder and lightning).
Where is the study run from?
University of Essex (UK)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
January 2022 to November 2022
Who is funding the study?
National Institute for Health Research (UK)
Who is the main contact?
Dr Nick Cooper
anglingforgood@essex.ac.uk
Contact information
Principal Investigator
Department of Psychology
University of Essex
Wivenhoe Park
Colchester
CO4 3SQ
United Kingdom
| Phone | +44 (0)7791 518833 |
|---|---|
| ncooper@essex.ac.uk |
Study information
| Study design | Single-centre interventional single-blinded randomised wait-list controlled trial |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Interventional |
| Secondary study design | Randomised controlled trial |
| Study setting(s) | Community |
| Study type | Treatment |
| Participant information sheet | Not available in web format, please use contact detials to request a participant information sheet |
| Scientific title | A nature-based intervention to improve mental health: efficacy of an angling intervention for military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder |
| Study hypothesis | A nature-based, group-delivered angling intervention improves the mental health of military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) relative to controls. |
| Ethics approval(s) | Approved 14/03/2022, University of Essex Ethics Committee (REO Research Governance Team, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, CO4 3SQ, UK; +44 (0)1206 872169; reo-governance@essex.ac.uk), ref: ETH2122-0861 |
| Condition | Post-traumatic stress disorder |
| Intervention | Participants engage in a 2-days/1-night social fishing event in a natural setting. Participants are randomised into either the fishing group or a waitlist control group (do nothing during primary data collection), who then engage in the fishing intervention at a later date. Simple randomisation is used with stratification (gender, PCL-5 score). |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure | PTSD symptoms measured using the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) at baseline, 2 weeks and 4 weeks post intervention. |
| Secondary outcome measures | Measured at baseline, 2 weeks and 4 weeks post intervention: 1. Anxiety measured with the Generalised Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7) 2. Depression measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9 3. Psychological growth measured using the Psychological Wellbeing Post-Traumatic Changes Questionnaire 4. General social functioning measured using the Work and Social Adjustment scale 5. Wellbeing measured using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale 6. Loneliness measured using the UCLA Loneliness Scale and the emotional Loneliness Scale |
| Overall study start date | 19/01/2022 |
| Overall study end date | 07/11/2022 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Patient |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | 48 |
| Participant inclusion criteria | Military veteran with PTSD |
| Participant exclusion criteria | 1. Not a military veteran 2. Currently undergoing psychotherapy |
| Recruitment start date | 06/06/2022 |
| Recruitment end date | 08/08/2022 |
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 872169 |
|---|---|
| rso2@essex.ac.uk | |
| Website | http://www.essex.ac.uk/ |
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/02nkf1q06 |
Funders
Funder type
Government
Government organisation / National government
- Alternative name(s)
- National Institute for Health Research, NIHR Research, NIHRresearch, NIHR - National Institute for Health Research, NIHR (The National Institute for Health and Care Research), NIHR
- Location
- United Kingdom
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 01/11/2023 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Stored in publicly available repository |
| Publication and dissemination plan | Findings will be disseminated via a written report to the funder (NIHR), an academic paper submitted for publication, a Plain English summary and a dissemination event at the University of Essex. |
| IPD sharing plan | Anonymised data will be shared in a publically available repository, the OSF data repository (https://osf.io/). The researchers will store fully anonymised raw SPSS data files. Consent for this is in the PIS and ethics forms. Data will be available after publication and will be freely available at any time thereafter from OSF. |
Editorial Notes
13/07/2022: The following changes have been made:
1. The recruitment end date has been changed from 11/07/2022 to 08/08/2022.
2. The overall trial end date has been changed from 17/10/2022 to 07/11/2022 and the plain English summary updated accordingly.
3. The intention to publish date has been changed from 01/10/2023 to 01/11/2023.
4. The trial website has been added.
30/05/2022: Trial's existence confirmed by the University of Essex Ethics Committee.
