Young AdultsABBA-ventionNCT06788496
Art-based Beauty Appreciation Intervention
A study testing Art-based Beauty Appreciation Intervention Program (Learning to See Beauty) and Observation Program (Learning to Observe Life) in people with Young Adults and Sensory Processing Sensitivity, run by Radboud University Medical Center at 1 site in Netherlands.
Trial summary
This study is a randomized controlled trial with an active control condition evaluating the impact of an art-based beauty appreciation (ABBA) intervention on trait appreciation of beauty as a primary outcome and well-being and psychological distress as secondary outcomes. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 28 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Young Adults, Sensory Processing Sensitivity
- What is being tested?
- Art-based Beauty Appreciation Intervention Program (Learning to See Beauty) and Observation Program (Learning to Observe Life)
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 114 participants
- Where
- 1 siteNetherlands
- Study dates
- 22 Nov 2024to 18 Jul 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 28 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Participants must be between 18-28 years of age,
- indicate that they have a smartphone to support our data collection and program components,
- have the ability and interest to make a trip to a museum or new location (i.e., new part of the city),
- be willing to complete short activities every day for two weeks, (4) and be fluent in English, (6) be based in Amsterdam, (7) are willing to share postal address to receive materials.
Who cannot join
- Participants must not currently be in clinical treatment for a mental health disorder, assessed via self-report, or
- indicate that they are currently experiencing severe psychological symptoms (i.e., depression, suicidal ideation, severe anxiety) via self-report.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: RCT Pilot Study: Art-based Beauty Appreciation Intervention
This study is a randomized controlled trial with an active control condition evaluating the impact of an art-based beauty appreciation (ABBA) intervention on trait appreciation of beauty as a primary outcome and well-being and psychological distress as secondary outcomes. The central hypothesis is that the primary and secondary outcomes will increase more in the intervention than in the control condition.
Read the detailed description
This study is a randomized controlled trial with an active control condition evaluating the impact of an art-based beauty appreciation (ABBA) intervention on trait appreciation of beauty as a primary outcome and well-being and psychological distress as secondary outcomes. These two programs have been designed and validated in a qualitative pilot study as matched in credibility, intensity, and enjoyment. There are three measurement points for primary and secondary outcomes, including (1) enrollment, (2) a post-test after the intervention/control program, and (3) a 4-week follow-up measure. N = 114 participants will be randomized after baseline into either the intervention or control group (N = 57/group). In addition, to investigate perceived mechanisms, barriers, and facilitators, participants will be selected using purposive sampling and invited to a semi-structured interview until data saturation is reached (expected N = 15).
- Conditions
- Young Adults, Sensory Processing Sensitivity
- Being tested
- Art-based Beauty Appreciation Intervention Program (Learning to See Beauty), Observation Program (Learning to Observe Life)
- Keywords
- Beauty Appreciation, Well-being, Mental Health, Young Adults, Active Control Condition, Art Based Intervention
- Medical subject headings
- Psychological Well-Being
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Art-based Beauty Appreciation Intervention Program (Learning to See Beauty)Behavioural
The goals of the intervention program are to help individuals develop an aesthetic mindset, practice observation and appreciation skills, learn how to apply these skills to their day-to-day lives, practice emotion regulation with beauty, and incorporate more beauty into their lives. The program is designed to create a slow skill transfer from appreciation in art contexts to natural beauty and to everyday life. In the 14-day program, participants visit an art museum with guided audio, watch instructional videos about observing and appreciating beauty, and complete daily written or photo beauty journals that document the beauty they see. In addition, participants will watch video art showing how to find beauty in mundane objects, practice this in a beauty walk, and complete a planning session to include more beauty in their lives.
Observation Program (Learning to Observe Life)Behavioural
The active, matched control group will focus on developing pragmatic observation skills. Participants will be instructed to pay attention to and identify objects and elements in their surroundings without emphasizing their aesthetic value. For example, they should pay attention and count objects of the same colour they encounter, social behaviour, the people they pass on the street, or the types of buildings. The 14-day program includes a tourist trip with guided audio instruction, watching instructional videos about increasing observation skills and completing daily written or photo journals to document their observations. Further, participants will take an observation walk and plan to include more observation in their lives.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Active Control Condition | Active comparator | Not described Receives: Behavioral: Observation Program (Learning to Observe Life) |
| Intervention Condition | Other | Not described Receives: Behavioral: Art-based Beauty Appreciation Intervention Program (Learning to See Beauty) |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Engagement with Beauty
The Engagement with Beauty Scale Revised (EBS-R) is an 18-item self-report scale designed to assess cognitive and emotional engagement with natural beauty, artistic beauty, moral beauty, and beautiful ideas. Participants respond on a 7-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (very unlike me) to 7 (very much like me). Example items include reflections on physiological responses to natural beauty, the spiritual experience elicited by art, and the desire for personal growth through moral beauty appreciation. Subscales measure engagement with moral beauty (scores 6-42) and the other three domains (scores 4-28), contributing to a total score ranging from 18 to 126.
Measured: From baseline to the follow-up period (up to 2 months)
Secondary outcomes (2)
Well-being
We will measure well-being using the Mental Health Continuum Short Form (MHC-SF). This has 14 items over three subscales: emotional well-being, social well-being (eudemonic well-being), and psychological well-being. The items are scored on a 6-point Likert scale (0-5), then sum-scored.
Measured: From baseline to the follow-up period (up to 2 months)
Psychological Distress
The DASS-21 will be used to measure psychological distress. It has 21 items divided over three subscales of 7 items each. These capture emotional states of depression, anxiety, and stress. The items are assessed using a four-point Likert scale (0-3), summed together, and multiplied by two. This results in three subscales and a total score.
Measured: From baseline to the follow-up period (up to 2 months)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted23 Jan 2025
- Study start22 Nov 2024
- Primary completion18 Jul 2025
- Study completion18 Jul 2025
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Young AdultsStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 114 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Radboud University Medical Center
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- University of Amsterdam, University of Vienna
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- MacKenzie D Trupp, PhD Candidate, Study director, RadboudUMC, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour and University of ViennaCorina Greven, Prof. Dr., Principal investigator, RadboudUMC, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06788496
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- NL87597.091.24
- Acronym
- ABBA-vention
- Status last verified
- Dec 2024
- First submitted
- 22 Dec 2024
- Last updated
- 17 Aug 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: All identifying information will remain in storage within the RadboudUMC storage systems at the Donders Institute and will not be shared. Data will not be published; however, it will be stored in the Radboud Repository, where further researchers can request access to pseudonymized data after signing a data-access agreement.
Publications
Trupp MD, Igdalova A, Wijnands M, Spee BTM, Stamkou E, Pelowski M, Greven CU. Art-based beauty appreciation intervention in young adults: protocol for a two-arm active control mixed-method randomised controlled trial (ABBA-Vention). Trials. 2026 Feb 25;27(1):261. doi: 10.1186/s13063-026-09563-0.
PubMed 41736139
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 17 Aug 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- RCT Pilot Study: Art-based Beauty Appreciation Intervention
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06788496
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- ABBA-vention / NL87597.091.24
- Conditions
- Young Adults, Sensory Processing Sensitivity
- Keywords
- Beauty Appreciation, Well-being, Mental Health, Young Adults, Active Control Condition, Art Based Intervention
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 114 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Radboud University Medical CenterUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- University of Amsterdam, University of Vienna
- Study start
- 22 Nov 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 18 Jul 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 18 Jul 2025 (actual)
- First posted
- 23 Jan 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This study is a randomized controlled trial with an active control condition evaluating the impact of an art-based beauty appreciation (ABBA) intervention on trait appreciation of beauty as a primary outcome and well-being and psychological distress as secondary outcomes. The central hypothesis is that the primary and secondary outcomes will increase more in the intervention than in the control condition.
Detailed description
This study is a randomized controlled trial with an active control condition evaluating the impact of an art-based beauty appreciation (ABBA) intervention on trait appreciation of beauty as a primary outcome and well-being and psychological distress as secondary outcomes. These two programs have been designed and validated in a qualitative pilot study as matched in credibility, intensity, and enjoyment. There are three measurement points for primary and secondary outcomes, including (1) enrollment, (2) a post-test after the intervention/control program, and (3) a 4-week follow-up measure. N = 114 participants will be randomized after baseline into either the intervention or control group (N = 57/group). In addition, to investigate perceived mechanisms, barriers, and facilitators, participants will be selected using purposive sampling and invited to a semi-structured interview until data saturation is reached (expected N = 15).
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Active Control Condition | Active comparator | Behavioral: Observation Program (Learning to Observe Life) |
| Intervention Condition | Other | Behavioral: Art-based Beauty Appreciation Intervention Program (Learning to See Beauty) |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 28 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Participants must be between 18-28 years of age,
- indicate that they have a smartphone to support our data collection and program components,
- have the ability and interest to make a trip to a museum or new location (i.e., new part of the city),
- be willing to complete short activities every day for two weeks, (4) and be fluent in English, (6) be based in Amsterdam, (7) are willing to share postal address to receive materials.
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Participants must not currently be in clinical treatment for a mental health disorder, assessed via self-report, or
- indicate that they are currently experiencing severe psychological symptoms (i.e., depression, suicidal ideation, severe anxiety) via self-report.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Art-based Beauty Appreciation Intervention Program (Learning to See Beauty)The goals of the intervention program are to help individuals develop an aesthetic mindset, practice observation and appreciation skills, learn how to apply these skills to their day-to-day lives, practice emotion regulation with beauty, and incorporate more beauty into their lives. The program is designed to create a slow skill transfer from appreciation in art contexts to natural beauty and to everyday life. In the 14-day program, participants visit an art museum with guided audio, watch instructional videos about observing and appreciating beauty, and complete daily written or photo beauty journals that document the beauty they see. In addition, participants will watch video art showing how to find beauty in mundane objects, practice this in a beauty walk, and complete a planning session to include more beauty in their lives. | Behavioural | Intervention Condition |
| Observation Program (Learning to Observe Life)The active, matched control group will focus on developing pragmatic observation skills. Participants will be instructed to pay attention to and identify objects and elements in their surroundings without emphasizing their aesthetic value. For example, they should pay attention and count objects of the same colour they encounter, social behaviour, the people they pass on the street, or the types of buildings. The 14-day program includes a tourist trip with guided audio instruction, watching instructional videos about increasing observation skills and completing daily written or photo journals to document their observations. Further, participants will take an observation walk and plan to include more observation in their lives. | Behavioural | Active Control Condition |
Primary outcome
Engagement with Beauty
Time frame: From baseline to the follow-up period (up to 2 months)
The Engagement with Beauty Scale Revised (EBS-R) is an 18-item self-report scale designed to assess cognitive and emotional engagement with natural beauty, artistic beauty, moral beauty, and beautiful ideas. Participants respond on a 7-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (very unlike me) to 7 (very much like me). Example items include reflections on physiological responses to natural beauty, the spiritual experience elicited by art, and the desire for personal growth through moral beauty appreciation. Subscales measure engagement with moral beauty (scores 6-42) and the other three domains (scores 4-28), contributing to a total score ranging from 18 to 126.
2 secondary outcomes
Well-being
Time frame: From baseline to the follow-up period (up to 2 months)
Psychological Distress
Time frame: From baseline to the follow-up period (up to 2 months)
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 17 Aug 2025.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 41736139Trupp MD, Igdalova A, Wijnands M, Spee BTM, Stamkou E, Pelowski M, Greven CU. Art-based beauty appreciation intervention in young adults: protocol for a two-arm active control mixed-method randomised controlled trial (ABBA-Vention). Trials. 2026 Feb 25;27(1):261. doi: 10.1186/s13063-026-09563-0.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. All identifying information will remain in storage within the RadboudUMC storage systems at the Donders Institute and will not be shared. Data will not be published; however, it will be stored in the Radboud Repository, where further researchers can request access to pseudonymized data after signing a data-access agreement.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
MacKenzie D Trupp, PhD Candidate study director
RadboudUMC, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour and University of Vienna
Corina Greven, Prof. Dr. principal investigator
RadboudUMC, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Art-based Beauty Appreciation Intervention Program (Learning to See Beauty) and Observation Program (Learning to Observe Life) in people with Young Adults and Sensory Processing Sensitivity, run by Radboud University Medical Center at 1 site in Netherlands.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 17 Aug 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Netherlands. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Engagement with Beauty (time frame: From baseline to the follow-up period (up to 2 months)). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT06788496, which also lists 1 linked publication.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 17 Aug 2025.