HealthyNCT06950801
Comparing the Effects of Indoor vs. Outdoor Horticultural Therapy on College Students
A study testing outdoor-horticultural therapy, indoor-Horticultural Therapy group and General Psychological Group Counselling Team in people with Healthy, run by Ye Zhiyin at 1 site in China.
Trial summary
This study used a randomised controlled trial to investigate the effects of different forms of horticultural group interventions on college students' depression, anxiety and subjective well-being, and the internal mechanisms of the effects. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Any ageHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Healthy
- What is being tested?
- outdoor-horticultural therapy, indoor-Horticultural Therapy group and General Psychological Group Counselling Team
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 120 participants
- Where
- 1 siteChina
- Study dates
- 20 Mar 2025to 1 Jun 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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 Any age
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- University students
Who cannot join
- Diagnosed with a mental disorder
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
China1 site
Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing, Beijing 100875
Beijing, Beijing Municipality
About this study
This study used a randomised controlled trial to investigate the effects of different forms of horticultural group interventions on college students' depression, anxiety and subjective well-being, and the internal mechanisms of the effects.
Participants are required to complete the following tasks:
Attend one indoor/outdoor group gardening activity per week, lasting 2 hours each session, for a total of 8 weeks.
Complete psychological scale assessments at five time points: before the activity begins, at 4 weeks after the start, upon completion of the activity, and at 1 week and 2 weeks after completion.
- Conditions
- Healthy
- Being tested
- outdoor-horticultural therapy, indoor-Horticultural Therapy group, General Psychological Group Counselling Team
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
outdoor-horticultural therapyBehavioural
Students are randomly assigned to the Outdoor Horticultural Therapy group, where they will receive outdoor horticultural therapy for eight weeks
indoor-Horticultural Therapy groupBehavioural
Students are randomly assigned to the indoor horticultural therapy group, where they will receive indoor horticultural therapy for 8 weeks
General Psychological Group Counselling TeamBehavioural
Students were randomly assigned to general group groups to participate in an 8-week mental health group activity
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| outdoor-horticultural | Experimental | The participants in outdoor horticultural therapy engaged in weekly horticultural therapy activities outdoors for a total duration of eight weeks. Receives: Behavioral: outdoor-horticultural therapy |
| indoor-Horticultural | Experimental | The participants in indoor horticultural therapy engaged in therapeutic gardening activities indoors once a week for a total duration of eight weeks. Receives: Behavioral: indoor-Horticultural Therapy group |
| General Psychological Group | Placebo comparator | Participants in the control group attended weekly psychological group sessions (without horticultural elements) for a total duration of eight weeks. Receives: Behavioral: General Psychological Group Counselling Team |
| Blank control group | No intervention | These participants did not engage in any psychological activities; they only regularly took part in questionnaire completion. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Depression
The Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item (PHQ-9): This scale consists of 9 items, each rated on a 4-point Likert scale, with higher scores indicating more severe depressive symptoms in the subject.
Measured: From enrollment to 2 weeks after the completion of the 8-week treatment Edit Copy Outcome
Anxiety
Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item Scale (GAD-7): This scale consists of 7 items, each rated on a 4-point Likert scale, with higher scores indicating more severe anxiety symptoms in the subjects.
Measured: From enrollment to 2 weeks after the completion of the 8-week treatment
Positive And Negative Affective
Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS): This scale consists of 20 items, including 10 positive affect items and 10 negative affect items, with each item rated on a Likert five-point scale. Higher scores on the positive affect items indicate higher levels of positive affect in the participants, while higher scores on the negative affect items indicate higher levels of negative affect in the participants.
Measured: From enrollment to 2 weeks after the completion of the 8-week treatment
Life satisfaction
The Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS): This scale consists of 5 items, each rated on a 7-point Likert scale, with higher scores indicating greater life satisfaction among participants.
Measured: From enrollment to 2 weeks after the completion of the 8-week treatment
Secondary outcomes (8)
Resilience
The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC): The scale consists of 25 items divided into three dimensions-tenacity, self-reliance, and optimism. Each item is rated on a Likert five-point scale. Higher scores indicate greater psychological resilience in the subjects.
Measured: From enrollment to 2 weeks after the completion of the 8-week treatment
Loneliness
UCLA Loneliness Scale: This scale consists of 8 items, each rated on a 5-point Likert scale, with higher scores indicating stronger feelings of loneliness in the subjects.
Measured: From enrollment to 2 weeks after the completion of the 8-week treatment
Sense of control
Sense of Mastery Scale (SMS): This scale consists of 7 items, each using a 5-point Likert scale, with higher scores indicating a stronger sense of mastery in the subjects.
Measured: From enrollment to 2 weeks after the completion of the 8-week treatment
Avoidance
The Brief Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (BEAQ) was initially simplified and revised by Gámez et al. based on the Multidimensional Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire to assess content related to experiential avoidance. Cao et al. conducted a Chinese version revision in 2021. The questionnaire consists of 15 items, with the cognitive avoidance dimension containing 8 items and the behavioral avoidance dimension containing 7 items, all rated on a 6-point scale from "Strongly Disagree" to "Strongly Agree."
Measured: From enrollment to 2 weeks after the completion of the 8-week treatment
Self-concept
Sense of Mastery Scale, SMS. This scale consists of 12 items, with each item rated on a five-point Likert scale. Higher scores indicate a clearer self-concept among the participants.
Measured: From enrollment to 2 weeks after the completion of the 8-week treatment
meaning in life
The Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ): This scale consists of 10 items with two dimensions: Presence of Meaning (MLQ-P) and Search for Meaning (MLQ-S). Each item adopts a 7-point Likert scale, with higher scores indicating that participants experience a stronger sense of meaning in life.
Measured: From enrollment to 2 weeks after the completion of the 8-week treatment
Grit
The Grit Scale consists of 12 items with two dimensions: the Effort dimension and the Interest Consistency dimension. Each item is rated on a five-point Likert scale, with higher scores indicating that participants perceive themselves as more perseverant.
Measured: From enrollment to 2 weeks after the completion of the 8-week treatment
nature connection
The Nature Connection Scale, which consists of 14 items, employs a 5-point Likert scale for each item, with higher scores indicating that participants perceive themselves as more closely connected to nature.
Measured: From enrollment to 2 weeks after the completion of the 8-week treatment
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted30 Apr 2025
- Study start20 Mar 2025
- Primary completion30 May 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion1 Jun 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for HealthyStudies 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
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Care provider
- Enrolment
- 120 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Ye Zhiyin
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor-investigator, Ye Zhiyin, Central University of Finance and Economics, China
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06950801
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- cufe03
- Status last verified
- Mar 2025
- First submitted
- 4 Mar 2025
- Last updated
- 30 Apr 2025
- Results posted
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 30 Apr 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Comparing the Effects of Indoor vs. Outdoor Horticultural Therapy on College Students
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06950801
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- cufe03
- Conditions
- Healthy
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Active, not recruiting
- Enrolment
- 120 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Ye ZhiyinUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 20 Mar 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 May 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 1 Jun 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 30 Apr 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 used a randomised controlled trial to investigate the effects of different forms of horticultural group interventions on college students' depression, anxiety and subjective well-being, and the internal mechanisms of the effects.
Participants are required to complete the following tasks:
Attend one indoor/outdoor group gardening activity per week, lasting 2 hours each session, for a total of 8 weeks.
Complete psychological scale assessments at five time points: before the activity begins, at 4 weeks after the start, upon completion of the activity, and at 1 week and 2 weeks after completion.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind (participant, care provider)
- Number of arms
- 4
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| outdoor-horticultural | Experimental | Behavioral: outdoor-horticultural therapyThe participants in outdoor horticultural therapy engaged in weekly horticultural therapy activities outdoors for a total duration of eight weeks. |
| indoor-Horticultural | Experimental | Behavioral: indoor-Horticultural Therapy groupThe participants in indoor horticultural therapy engaged in therapeutic gardening activities indoors once a week for a total duration of eight weeks. |
| General Psychological Group | Placebo comparator | Behavioral: General Psychological Group Counselling TeamParticipants in the control group attended weekly psychological group sessions (without horticultural elements) for a total duration of eight weeks. |
| Blank control group | No intervention | –These participants did not engage in any psychological activities; they only regularly took part in questionnaire completion. |
Who may qualify
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- University students
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Diagnosed with a mental disorder
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 |
|---|---|---|
| outdoor-horticultural therapyStudents are randomly assigned to the Outdoor Horticultural Therapy group, where they will receive outdoor horticultural therapy for eight weeks | Behavioural | outdoor-horticultural |
| indoor-Horticultural Therapy groupStudents are randomly assigned to the indoor horticultural therapy group, where they will receive indoor horticultural therapy for 8 weeks | Behavioural | indoor-Horticultural |
| General Psychological Group Counselling TeamStudents were randomly assigned to general group groups to participate in an 8-week mental health group activity | Behavioural | General Psychological Group |
Primary outcome
Depression
Time frame: From enrollment to 2 weeks after the completion of the 8-week treatment Edit Copy Outcome
The Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item (PHQ-9): This scale consists of 9 items, each rated on a 4-point Likert scale, with higher scores indicating more severe depressive symptoms in the subject.
Anxiety
Time frame: From enrollment to 2 weeks after the completion of the 8-week treatment
Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item Scale (GAD-7): This scale consists of 7 items, each rated on a 4-point Likert scale, with higher scores indicating more severe anxiety symptoms in the subjects.
Positive And Negative Affective
Time frame: From enrollment to 2 weeks after the completion of the 8-week treatment
Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS): This scale consists of 20 items, including 10 positive affect items and 10 negative affect items, with each item rated on a Likert five-point scale. Higher scores on the positive affect items indicate higher levels of positive affect in the participants, while higher scores on the negative affect items indicate higher levels of negative affect in the participants.
Life satisfaction
Time frame: From enrollment to 2 weeks after the completion of the 8-week treatment
The Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS): This scale consists of 5 items, each rated on a 7-point Likert scale, with higher scores indicating greater life satisfaction among participants.
8 secondary outcomes
Resilience
Time frame: From enrollment to 2 weeks after the completion of the 8-week treatment
Loneliness
Time frame: From enrollment to 2 weeks after the completion of the 8-week treatment
Sense of control
Time frame: From enrollment to 2 weeks after the completion of the 8-week treatment
Avoidance
Time frame: From enrollment to 2 weeks after the completion of the 8-week treatment
Self-concept
Time frame: From enrollment to 2 weeks after the completion of the 8-week treatment
meaning in life
Time frame: From enrollment to 2 weeks after the completion of the 8-week treatment
Grit
Time frame: From enrollment to 2 weeks after the completion of the 8-week treatment
nature connection
Time frame: From enrollment to 2 weeks after the completion of the 8-week treatment
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 30 Apr 2025.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided
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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.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing outdoor-horticultural therapy, indoor-Horticultural Therapy group and General Psychological Group Counselling Team in people with Healthy, run by Ye Zhiyin at 1 site in China.
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 1 inclusion and 1 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: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 30 Apr 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 China. 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. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. 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?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
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?
Depression (time frame: From enrollment to 2 weeks after the completion of the 8-week treatment Edit Copy Outcome). The study lists 4 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
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 30 Apr 2025.