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The Effects of Regular Mountain Hiking on Hopelessness in Chronically Suicidal Patients

NCT01152086 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: PHASE4 · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 24

Last updated 2011-09-23

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Suicide is a major public health issue with estimated 1 million deaths worldwide within the last year. Physical activity and nature recreation might be protective factors against suicidal behaviour, suicidal ideation and contributing factors like depression and hopelessness.

In this randomized controlled cross-over intervention study the investigators aim to investigate the physical and psychological effects of a 9 weeks hiking program in chronically suicidal patients. The investigators aim to enroll 24 patients suffering from chronic suicidality, defined as at least one attempted suicide and a hopelessness greater than 26 in Beck's Hopelessness Scale summary score. At baseline patients will undergo pre-tests including questionnaires to assess suicide ideation, hopelessness, depression, anxiety, quality of life and health-related physical activity, physiological investigations to assess exercise capacity and blood investigations. Randomly assigned 12 patients start with the 9 weeks supervised mountain hiking program followed by a 9-week-period without supervised exercise program. The other 12 patients start with 9 weeks without supervised exercise program followed by a 9-week-period of supervised mountain hiking program. The mountain hiking program includes 2 training sessions per week with a duration of 3 hours per session. The hiking intervention will be performed within 70-85% of heart rate reserve and gymnastics for body and nature perception, mobilisation and stretching will enrich the training program. Further investigations including questionnaire-assessments, assessment of exercise capacity and blood investigations will be scheduled 9 and 18 weeks after the study start. In addition a daily assessment of several suicide risk-factors based on a web-based questionnaire will be done over the full study period. Within this mountain hiking program the investigators hope to reduce hopelessness in chronically suicidal patients.

Conditions

  • Suicide
  • Hopelessness

Interventions

OTHER

Mountain hiking in the Austrian and Bavarian Alps

Regularly supervised physical exercise training program. Duration over all: 9 weeks; Frequency: 2 times per week; Duration one training-unit: 3 hours; Program: * Endurance training (performed within 70-85% of the maximum heart rate) * Short exercises before hiking (Mobilisation, Body and nature perception, ca. 5 min) * Stretching after hiking (ca. 5 min) * Short break at half-time (ca. 15 min)

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Paracelsus Medical University

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Reinhold Fartacek, MD, MBA · Paracelsus Medical University

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
SINGLE
Model
CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2010-07-31
Primary Completion
2010-12-31
Completion
2010-12-31

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT01152086 on ClinicalTrials.gov