Where Wild Things Grow: Immediate and Long-term Impact of Nature- and Activity-based Group Interventions for Neurodivergent Children and Youth in School, Health Care and Leisure Settings in Agder

Status: Recruiting
Location: See all (2) locations...
Intervention Type: Behavioral
Study Type: Interventional
Study Phase: Not Applicable
SUMMARY

The goal of this action research project is to develop and implement nature- and activity-based group interventions across health care, school and leisure settings in Southern Norway. The interventions are tailored to support the mental health, self-efficacy and daily life functioning of children and youth in the Agder region, with a particular focus on youngsters who struggle due to neurodivergence, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Tourette's syndrome. The main questions we aim to answer are: 1. To what extent does nature- and activity-based outdoor education contribute to improvements in children's quality of life? 2. To what extent does nature- and activity-based interventions in a health care setting improve children's self-efficacy, self-esteem and quality of life? 3. Is there a difference in physiological reactions between nature-based provision of education or therapy and traditional indoor provision of education or therapy? Participants will take part in a 12-week school-based or health care intervention.

Eligibility
Participation Requirements
Sex: All
Minimum Age: 5
Maximum Age: 18
Healthy Volunteers: t
View:

• In PhD 1, participants are recruited on class-level (all) or individual (identified need).

• In PhD 2, inclusion criteria are patients that participate in the specific interventions.

Locations
Other Locations
Norway
Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health (ABUP), Sørlandet Hospital HF
RECRUITING
Kristiansand
Department of Sport and Physical Education, University of Agder
RECRUITING
Kristiansand
Contact Information
Primary
Carina R Fernee, PhD
carina.fernee@sshf.no
+4790671621
Backup
Sveinung Berntsen, Professor
sveinung.berntsen@uia.no
+4790989765
Time Frame
Start Date: 2025-09-01
Estimated Completion Date: 2027-06-15
Participants
Target number of participants: 240
Treatments
Experimental: Heart Rate Variability (Substudy 1)
Heart rate variability (HRV) is measured across contexts to explore physiological outcomes and stress levels
Active_comparator: School setting (PhD 1)
In this study arm, we compare two approaches to nature-based experiential learning.
Active_comparator: Health Care Setting (PhD 2)
In this study arm, we compare two nature- and activity-based group treatments.
Sponsors
Leads: Sorlandet Hospital HF
Collaborators: University of Agder, University of Stavanger

This content was sourced from clinicaltrials.gov