Bright Light Intervention to Reduce Students' Stress

NCT04900675 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 878649
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 125
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Increased stress levels are a significant problem for many students and represent a risk factor for impaired mental and physical health as well as academic performance. Stress levels are particularly high during the preparation phase for major exams. There is good evidence that light therapy is an effective treatment option to improve mood in affective disorders. The present study aims at investigating the psychophysiological effects of a 3-week morning bright light exposure in reducing stress and stress-related problems in students preparing for major exams.

Conditions

Psychological Stress; Physiological Stress; Sleep Disorders, Circadian Rhythm

Keywords

stress; light therapy

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• subjective stress level - baseline/post

  Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10); scale: PSS-10 sum score; range:0 - 40; higher scores mean a higher subjective stress level

  Change from baseline PSS-10 sum score at the end of week 3

• subjective stress level - baseline/post

  Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ-20); scale: PSQ-20 sum score; range: 20 - 80; higher scores mean a higher subjective stress level

  Change from baseline PSQ-20 sum score at the end of week 3

• subjective stress level - on weekdays

  Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ-20); scale: PSQ-20 sum score; range: 20 - 80; higher scores mean a higher subjective stress level

  Change of daily PSQ-20 sum score at each weekday during the light intervention period up to 3 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (12)

• anxiety

  Change from baseline STAI-trait sum score at the end of week 3

• mood

  Change from baseline CES-D sum score at the end of week 3

• sleep quality

  Change from baseline global PSQI score at the end of week 3

• sleep quality - total sleep time

  Change of TST at each night during the light intervention period up to 3 weeks

• sleep quality - sleep onset latency

  change of SOL at each night during the light intervention period up to 3 weeks

Other Outcomes (12)

• resilience

  Change from baseline RS-11 sum score at the end of week 3

• stress coping

  Change from baseline multidimensional CISS scale at the end of week 3

• learning strategies

  Change from baseline multidimensional LIST-K scale at the end of week 3

Study Arms (3)

bright white light intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

exposure to 5,000 lux with polychromatic white light with 5,300 Kelvin at eye level; light exposure starts immediately after awakening; light exposure takes place on weekdays (Monday till Friday) over a period of 3 weeks

Other: Bright light intervention

dim reddish light intervention

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

exposure to 50 lux with polychromatic reddish light with 2,200 Kelvin at eye level; light exposure starts immediately after awakening; light exposure takes place on weekdays (Monday till Friday) over a period of 3 weeks

Other: Reddish placebo light

no light intervention

NO INTERVENTION

no light intervention takes place in the morning; the study participants follow their natural rhythm of life

Interventions

Bright light intervention OTHER

Exposure with 5,000 lux at eye level for one hour and a Correlated Color Temperature of 5,300 Kelvin every morning for three weeks.

bright white light intervention

Reddish placebo light OTHER

Exposure with 50 lux at eye level for one hour and a Correlated Color Temperature of 2,200 Kelvin every morning for three weeks.

dim reddish light intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 35 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• students from the faculty of medicine, pharmacy, and law
• major exam at least 5 weeks ahead
• major depressive disorder (PHQ-9): Score \> 4
• possession of smartphone and data plan

You may not qualify if:

• suicidal ideation (BDI, Item i): Rating \> 1
• seasonal affective disorder (PIDS-A): Score \> 11
• taking medication which increases photo-sensitivity
• taking medication to increase cognitive performance
• starting or changing pharmacotherapy for affective disorders and anxiety disorders within the last two weeks
• changing of all kinds of medication within the last two weeks
• headache (PHQ-D, Item f): Rating "severly impaired"
• increased light sensitivity: Item "Wearing sunglasses outside on sunny days" is answered with 'often' or 'very often'
• currently undergoing psychotherapeutic treatment
• the presence of an eye disease for which light therapy is contraindicated

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Universitaet Innsbruck: lead
• Bartenbach GmbH: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University of Innsbruck

Innsbruck, Tyrol, 6020, Austria

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Stress, Psychological; Sleep Disorders, Circadian Rhythm

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Chronobiology Disorders; Nervous System Diseases; Dyssomnias; Sleep Wake Disorders; Occupational Diseases; Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• Markus Canazei, PhD

  University of Innsbruck

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: After randomisation to the two light intervention study arms, it is only explained to the test persons that the influence of regular exposure to light in the morning is being investigated. The control light condition comprises dim, reddish light. The reddish color tone in this light intervention should mask allocation to the study arm. A no-light intervention group (study arm 3) will be established as an additional control condition. Data analysis will be carried out by a member of the project team who is blinded to study arm allocation.
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Model Details: placebo-controlled, randomized trial

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 29, 2021
• First Posted: May 25, 2021
• Study Start: October 1, 2020
• Primary Completion: March 31, 2024
• Study Completion: October 31, 2024
• Last Updated: June 26, 2025

Record last verified: 2024-12

Locations

AU (1)