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

NCT01152086 | Completed Phase 4

• 1 other identifier: Hiking2010
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 24
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief 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

Keywords

Physical activity; mountain hiking; exercise; training program; hopelessness; chronic suicidality; depression; suicide attempt; suicide

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Hopelessness

  Summary score BHS (Beck Hopelessness Scale; 20 items)

  18 weeks (3 time points)

Secondary Outcomes (8)

• Exercise capacity

  18 weeks (3 time points)

• Depression

  18 weeks (3 time points)

• Anxiety

  18 weeks (3 time points)

• Suicide ideation

  18 weeks (3 time points)

• Quality of life

  18 weeks (3 time points)

Study Arms (2)

Hiking first

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

This group first starts with mountain hiking over 9 weeks followed by a 9 weeks control period.

Other: Mountain hiking in the Austrian and Bavarian Alps

Control first

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

This group first starts with the control period (9 weeks) followed by the 9 weeks mountain hiking intervention.

Other: Mountain hiking in the Austrian and Bavarian Alps

Interventions

Mountain hiking in the Austrian and Bavarian Alps OTHER

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)

Control first; Hiking first

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Chronically suicidal defined as:
• at least one attempted suicide
• BHS summary scale \> 26

You may not qualify if:

• Coronary heart disease defined by angina pectoris or relevant ST-changes during exercise or myocardial infarction in the last 6 months
• not oriented in time and space
• demented
• acute psychotic
• cognitively impaired
• insufficient german language skills

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Paracelsus Medical University: lead

Related Publications (5)

• Babiss LA, Gangwisch JE. Sports participation as a protective factor against depression and suicidal ideation in adolescents as mediated by self-esteem and social support. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2009 Oct;30(5):376-84. doi: 10.1097/DBP.0b013e3181b33659.

  PMID: 19692930 BACKGROUND

• Brown DR, Galuska DA, Zhang J, Eaton DK, Fulton JE, Lowry R, Maynard LM. Psychobiology and behavioral strategies. Physical activity, sport participation, and suicidal behavior: U.S. high school students. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2007 Dec;39(12):2248-57. doi: 10.1249/mss.0b013e31815793a3.

  PMID: 18046198 BACKGROUND

• Simon TR, Powell KE, Swann AC. Involvement in physical activity and risk for nearly lethal suicide attempts. Am J Prev Med. 2004 Nov;27(4):310-5. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2004.07.003.

  PMID: 15488361 BACKGROUND

• Taliaferro LA, Rienzo BA, Pigg RM Jr, Miller MD, Dodd VJ. Associations between physical activity and reduced rates of hopelessness, depression, and suicidal behavior among college students. J Am Coll Health. 2009 Jan-Feb;57(4):427-36. doi: 10.3200/JACH.57.4.427-436.

  PMID: 19114382 BACKGROUND

• Tao FB, Xu ML, Kim SD, Sun Y, Su PY, Huang K. Physical activity might not be the protective factor for health risk behaviours and psychopathological symptoms in adolescents. J Paediatr Child Health. 2007 Nov;43(11):762-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1754.2007.01217.x.

  PMID: 17924938 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Suicide; Motor Activity; Depression; Suicide, Attempted

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Self-Injurious Behavior; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior

Study Officials

• Reinhold Fartacek, MD, MBA

  Paracelsus Medical University

  STUDY CHAIR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: phase 4
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Prim. Prof. MD, PhD, MBA

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 28, 2010
• First Posted: June 29, 2010
• Study Start: July 1, 2010
• Primary Completion: December 1, 2010
• Study Completion: December 1, 2010
• Last Updated: September 23, 2011

Record last verified: 2011-09