The Impact of an Art and Philosophy-based Intervention on Children's Eco-anxiety

NCT06937021 | Enrolling By Invitation

• 1 other identifier: 102683
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 1,000
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Objective: To examine the impact of climate change on children's mental health by comparing the effectiveness of an arts only intervention (ABI) and an arts and philosophy-based intervention (APBI) on children's eco-anxiety, tolerance to distress and hope for the future in school settings. The investigators hypothesized that the children assigned to the combined arts and philosophy intervention would show reductions in self-reported eco-anxiety, as well as increases in tolerance to distress and hope for the future in the context of climate change, when compared to children assigned to the arts-only intervention. Setting: This study is conducted in public primary schools from England. Participants: Participants are students in grades 3 to 6. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome is self-reported eco-anxiety scores. Secondary outcomes are self-reported tolerance to distress, hope for the future and mental health (depression and anxiety symptoms).

Conditions

Eco-anxiety; Psychological Distress; Tolerance to Distress; Hope; Mental Health

Keywords

Art-based interventions; Philosophical inquiry; eco-anxiety; children; schools; mental health

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Eco-anxiety

  Self-reported child eco-anxiety Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale Minimum score: 0 Maximum score: 33 Higher scores mean worse outcomes

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Tolerance to distress

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

• Hope

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

• Mental health

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Art-based intervention (ABI)

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Other: Art based intervention (ABI)

Arts and philosophy intervention (APBI)

EXPERIMENTAL

Other: Art and philosophy intervention (APBI)

Interventions

Art and philosophy intervention (APBI) OTHER

8 session intervention delivered during school time. Each session involves an art activity with a corresponding philosophical discussion.

Arts and philosophy intervention (APBI)

Art based intervention (ABI) OTHER

A 8 session intervention delivered during school time. Each session involve a creative arts activity.

Art-based intervention (ABI)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 5 Years - 12 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• being an elementary school student

You may not qualify if:

• not being an elementary school student

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Bishop's University: lead
• Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Reach2 Academy, NorthStar Academy

Henhurst Ridge, Burton-on-Trent, DE13 9TQ, United Kingdom

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Psychological Well-Being

Interventions

Reproductive Techniques, Assisted

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Personal Satisfaction; Behavior

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Reproductive Techniques; Therapeutics; Investigative Techniques

Study Officials

• Catherine Malboeuf-Hurtubise, PhD

  Bishop's University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate professor, psychologist

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 11, 2025
• First Posted: April 20, 2025
• Study Start: February 3, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2026
• Last Updated: April 20, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

GB (1)