Roots and Shoots: A Pilot Parallel Randomised Controlled Trial Assessing the Feasibility and Acceptability of a Nature-Based Self-Help Intervention for Low Wellbeing.
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Authors
Owens, Matthew
Houghton, Chloe
Beattie, Paige
Bunce, Hannah L I
Issue Date
2025-08-12
Type
Journal Article
Language
en
Keywords
nature , pilot randomised controlled trial , wellbeing
Alternative Title
Abstract
The burden of depression is a public health concern, and traditional treatment approaches to mental health alone may be insufficient. The effects of contact with nature on wellbeing have been shown to reduce stress and improve mood, emotional wellbeing and mental health difficulties. Thus, self-guided nature-based interventions (NBIs) present a promising approach to improving mental health and wellbeing. However, there is limited evidence on the development of such interventions. This two-armed pilot randomised controlled trial aimed at determining the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary efficacy of a novel, 4-week, self-help NBI (©). Forty-seven participants were randomised (1:1) to either receive the intervention or a waitlist control. Participants in both conditions completed measures including wellbeing (primary outcome) and depressive symptoms, rumination, sleep and nature relatedness (secondary outcomes) at three timepoints: baseline (T0), 2 weeks (T1) and 4 weeks (T2). Those who completed the intervention period reported high acceptability and satisfaction with the intervention. The findings from this pilot study indicate potential for improvements in wellbeing following the intervention, which appears reasonably feasible and acceptable. Future research is warranted to further investigate the efficacy of this novel NBI in a larger, powered clinical trial.
Description
Copyright: © 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Citation
Owems, M.; Houghton, C.; Beattie, P. and Bunce, H. (2025) 'Roots and Shoots: A Pilot Parallel Randomised Controlled Trial Assessing the Feasibility and Acceptability of a Nature-Based Self-Help Intervention for Low Wellbeing', Behavioural Sciences 15(8) 1096. Available At: https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15081096
Publisher
MDPI
License
Journal
Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland)
Volume
15
Issue
8
PubMed ID
ISSN
2076-328X