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Completed

NCT Number: NCT05497713

Mindset Interventions to Facilitate Taking Cold Showers

The primary objective of this trial is to determine whether mindsets sustain the feasibility of taking cold showers over a 3-month period. Secondary objectives are to determine potential effects on physical and mental well-being, sleep quality, skin and hair appearance, perceived illness, and related sickness absences from work.

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Key information

Conditions

Age range

18 year–65 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Basel Faculty of Psychology Division for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy

Basel, Canton of Basel-City, 4055, Switzerland

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

The investigators will include

  • healthy participants between 18 and 65 years of age,
  • which do not take cold shower on a regular basis.
  • As there are no known gender differences, participants of both female and male sex are included.

Exclusion criteria

The investigators will exclude

  • pregnant or lactating women by self-report and
  • subjects with cardiac, pulmonary or any other severe disease by self-report.

Treatment and study plan

Mindsets

Other

The primary objective of this trial is to determine whether mindsets sustain the feasibility of taking cold showers over a 3-month period.

Primary outcomes

  1. Showering behaviour concerning frequency (Baseline)

    Time frame: Baseline

    Participants will be asked how often they showered during the last week.

  2. Showering behaviour concerning duration (Baseline)

    Time frame: Baseline

    Participants will be asked how long they showered for during the last week.

  3. Showering behaviour concerning motivation (Baseline)

    Time frame: Baseline

    Participants will be asked their motivation for taking cold showers during the last week.

  4. Showering behaviour concerning frequency (Week 1)

    Time frame: Week 1

    Participants will be asked how often they showered during the last week.

  5. Showering behaviour concerning frequency (Week 2)

    Time frame: Week 2

    Participants will be asked how often they showered during the last week.

  6. Showering behaviour concerning frequency (Week 3)

    Time frame: Week 3

    Participants will be asked how often they showered during the last week.

  7. Showering behaviour concerning frequency (Week 4)

    Time frame: Week 4

    Participants will be asked how often they showered during the last week.

  8. Showering behaviour concerning frequency (Week 5)

    Time frame: Week 5

    Participants will be asked how often they showered during the last week.

  9. Showering behaviour concerning frequency (Week 6)

    Time frame: Week 6

    Participants will be asked how often they showered during the last week.

  10. Showering behaviour concerning frequency (Week 7)

    Time frame: Week 7

    Participants will be asked how often they showered during the last week.

  11. Showering behaviour concerning frequency (Week 8)

    Time frame: Week 8

    Participants will be asked how often they showered during the last week.

  12. Showering behaviour concerning frequency (Week 9)

    Time frame: Week 9

    Participants will be asked how often they showered during the last week.

  13. Showering behaviour concerning frequency (Week 10)

    Time frame: Week 10

    Participants will be asked how often they showered during the last week.

  14. Showering behaviour concerning frequency (Week 11)

    Time frame: Week 11

    Participants will be asked how often they showered during the last week.

  15. Showering behaviour concerning frequency (Week 12)

    Time frame: Week 12

    Participants will be asked how often they showered during the last week.

  16. Showering behaviour concerning duration (Week 1)

    Time frame: Week 1

    Participants will be asked how long they showered for during the last week.

  17. Showering behaviour concerning duration (Week 2)

    Time frame: Week 2

    Participants will be asked how long they showered for during the last week.

  18. Showering behaviour concerning duration (Week 3)

    Time frame: Week 3

    Participants will be asked how long they showered for during the last week.

  19. Showering behaviour concerning duration (Week 4)

    Time frame: Week 4

    Participants will be asked how long they showered for during the last week.

  20. Showering behaviour concerning duration (Week 5)

    Time frame: Week 5

    Participants will be asked how long they showered for during the last week.

  21. Showering behaviour concerning duration (Week 6)

    Time frame: Week 6

    Participants will be asked how long they showered for during the last week.

  22. Showering behaviour concerning duration (Week 7)

    Time frame: Week 7

    Participants will be asked how long they showered for during the last week.

  23. Showering behaviour concerning duration (Week 8)

    Time frame: Week 8

    Participants will be asked how long they showered for during the last week.

  24. Showering behaviour concerning duration (Week 9)

    Time frame: Week 9

    Participants will be asked how long they showered for during the last week.

  25. Showering behaviour concerning duration (Week 10)

    Time frame: Week 10

    Participants will be asked how long they showered for during the last week.

  26. Showering behaviour concerning duration (Week 11)

    Time frame: Week 11

    Participants will be asked how long they showered for during the last week.

  27. Showering behaviour concerning duration (Week 12)

    Time frame: Week 12

    Participants will be asked how long they showered for during the last week.

  28. Showering behaviour concerning motivation (Week 1)

    Time frame: Week 1

    Participants will be asked their motivation for taking cold showers during the last week.

  29. Showering behaviour concerning motivation (Week 2)

    Time frame: Week 2

    Participants will be asked their motivation for taking cold showers during the last week.

  30. Showering behaviour concerning motivation (Week 3)

    Time frame: Week 3

    Participants will be asked their motivation for taking cold showers during the last week.

  31. Showering behaviour concerning motivation (Week 4)

    Time frame: Week 4

    Participants will be asked their motivation for taking cold showers during the last week.

  32. Showering behaviour concerning motivation (Week 5)

    Time frame: Week 5

    Participants will be asked their motivation for taking cold showers during the last week.

  33. Showering behaviour concerning motivation (Week 6)

    Time frame: Week 6

    Participants will be asked their motivation for taking cold showers during the last week.

  34. Showering behaviour concerning motivation (Week 7)

    Time frame: Week 7

    Participants will be asked their motivation for taking cold showers during the last week.

  35. Showering behaviour concerning motivation (Week 8)

    Time frame: Week 8

    Participants will be asked their motivation for taking cold showers during the last week.

  36. Showering behaviour concerning motivation (Week 9)

    Time frame: Week 9

    Participants will be asked their motivation for taking cold showers during the last week.

  37. Showering behaviour concerning motivation (Week 10)

    Time frame: Week 10

    Participants will be asked their motivation for taking cold showers during the last week.

  38. Showering behaviour concerning motivation (Week 11)

    Time frame: Week 11

    Participants will be asked their motivation for taking cold showers during the last week.

  39. Showering behaviour concerning motivation (Week 12)

    Time frame: Week 12

    Participants will be asked their motivation for taking cold showers during the last week.

Secondary outcomes

  1. WHO Five Well-Being Index

    Time frame: All secondary outcomes will be assessed at baseline and then monthly for 3 months.

    The WHO-5 is a short questionnaire designed to measure well-being. The WHO-5 consists of five questions. The answers are given on a six-level scale (0 - 5, where 0 represents "No time at all" and 5 "All the time"). The raw value is obtained by adding the answers. The raw value ranges from 0 to 25, where 0 is the lowest quality of life and 25 is the highest quality of life. The percentage value of 0 -100 is obtained by multiplying by 4. The percentage value 0 denotes the worst state of health, 100 the best. The processing time is less than one minute. Example: In the last 4 weeks I was happy and in a good mood.

  2. Questionnaire for positive aspects of well-being in adults

    Time frame: All secondary outcomes will be assessed at baseline and then monthly for 3 months.

    The FEW 16 is a psychological self-evaluation procedure for the assessment of positive aspects of well-being in adults. The FEW 16 consists of 16 questions, of which 4 questions each are assigned to one of the following four scales: Ability to work under pressure, vitality, enjoyment, inner peace. The answers are given on a 6-level scale (1 - 6, where 6 represents "Does not apply at all" and 1 "Is absolutely true"). The processing time is estimated at five to ten minutes by adding up the 16 items you get an overall result between 16 - 96, whereas a lower overall result shows a higher physical wellbeing. Example: There's hardly anything that can upset me.

  3. International Physical Activity Questionnaire

    Time frame: All secondary outcomes will be assessed at baseline and then monthly for 3 months.

    The IPAQ is a short questionnaire designed to measure physical activity. The IPAQ consists of six questions, of which 3 questions each are assigned to one of the following two scales: Strong physical exertion and light physical exertion. Either you have to tick an answer or you will be asked for a time in hours and minutes per week. The processing time is estimated at three minutes. Example: If you are thinking about physical activities where you are at least a little out of breath, such as running, hiking, dancing, gardening or many sports, how many days a week do you do physical activities of this kind?

  4. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index

    Time frame: All secondary outcomes will be assessed at baseline and then monthly for 3 months.

    The PSQI is a self-report questionnaire that assesses sleep quality over a 1-month time interval. The measure consists of 19 individual items, creating 7 components that produce one global score, and takes 5-10 minutes to complete. The questionnaire offers seven component scores and one composite score. The component scores consist of subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, use of sleeping medication, and daytime dysfunction. Each item is weighted on a 0-3 interval scale. The global PSQI score is then calculated by totalling the seven component scores, providing an overall score ranging from 0 to 21, where lower scores denote a healthier sleep quality. Example: How tired are you during the day?

  5. Skin quality questionnaire

    Time frame: All secondary outcomes will be assessed at baseline and then monthly for 3 months.

    The SQQ is a short self-report questionnaire that assesses hand and skin quality. The measure consists of 4 items, whereas they measure appearance, intactness, moisture content and sensation on a 7-level scale (1-7), where higher scores denote a healthier quality of skin. The processing time is less than one minute each. Example: Appearance: Abnormal: redness, stains, rash. Normal: no redness, stains or rashes.

  6. Sickness absence and illness days

    Time frame: All secondary outcomes will be assessed at baseline and then monthly for 3 months.

    Will be assessed at baseline and then monthly for 3 months. Participants are asked to retrospectively indicate the total number of days of absence from their work due to sickness and to indicate the number of days that they have had symptoms of illness, cold or flu during the last month. If participants indicate sickness absence or illness over five days, they are asked for the reason.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Jens Gaab

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Mindset Interventions to Facilitate Taking Cold Showers: A Randomized Controlled Study

Acronym: MICS

Important dates

Study start
2022
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2024
First posted
Aug 11, 2022
Registry last updated
Apr 6, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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