Clinical Research Directory

Examining Effects of Active Plant Engagement on College Student Well-Being and Performance

The goal of this feasibility study is to determine if active engagement with plants (e.g. care, maintenance) improves mental health and academic performance in college students. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Does active engagement with plants result in improvements in academic motivation and study habits? 2. Does active engagement with plants result in reductions in stress and improvements in mood? Researchers will compare two interventions groups (campus plant engagement group and home plant engagement group) to the comparison group (no plant engagement or passive exposure) to clarify the practical and potential benefits of active plant care for college students. Participants will: * Complete four surveys over the course of a 16-week semester * Water, prune and check the soil of their assigned plants

Efficacy of Interactive Audio-based Mindfulness ChatGPT-Powered Intervention on Well-being

Brief mindfulness intervention is a short form is a form of short-duration practice, typically delivered for around 30 minutes or less (Howarth et al., 2019). It can be conducted in various formats, including a short breathing exercise or body scan (Palascha et al., 2021), and are increasingly offered through digital platforms, including app-based formats. Empirical evidence has examined the efficacy of brief mindfulness intervention and yielded mixed results. For some studies, positive effects were found, while some studies found no supporting evidence. Such inconsistencies may be due to the several current limitations of brief mindfulness intervention. Firstly, the duration of the intervention is too short. Given this brevity, these short practices may not offer the same immersion and depth that traditional mindfulness may offer. Secondly, most brief mindfulness utilised audio-based formats, which tend to be passive in nature and may not fully engage participants. Lastly, for brief mindfulness delivered through app-based platforms, these applications adopt a self-help approach, which may lower engagement and user commitment. Moreover, these applications also relied on audio guides which lacks the student-facilitator engagement found in traditional classes. To address the current limitations within the literature, a between-within-subjects experiment will be conducted where participants will be randomly assigned to one of the three conditions: (1) an interactive brief mindfulness breathing ChatGPT-powered intervention, (2) an interactive mind-wandering ChatGPT-powered control, or (3) a mindfulness breathing audio control. We hypothesise that the brief mindfulness breathing ChatGPT-powered intervention group will have significant improvements in well-being outcomes as compared to the other two control groups. By exploring the potential of an interactive ChatGPT-powered intervention, this study aims to understand its efficacy in improving well-being.

Anxiety and Surgery Satisfaction for Cataract Patient With Different State Anxiety

This study aims to explore the effects of anxiety traits on pain, anxiety, and anesthesia satisfaction in patients undergoing cataract surgery under topical anesthesia. On the day of recruitment, patients will complete the BAI, STAI-S, and STAI-T anxiety questionnaires to assess baseline anxiety levels. Thirty minutes before the surgery, patients will be randomly assigned, in a double-blind manner, to receive either Xanax or a placebo and will retake the BAI, STAI-S, and STAI-T questionnaires. After the surgery, patients' pain levels and anesthesia satisfaction will be evaluated, with the pain scale and satisfaction survey repeated the following day. The results will analyze the relationship between anxiety traits and pharmacological interventions on the surgical experience, aiming to optimize surgical procedures and improve overall patient comfort.