FROM COLD TO MENTAL WELL-BEING: EFFECTS OF COMBINING BRIEF GROUP PSYCHOTHERAPY AND WINTER SWIMMING (Kylmäuinti)
Main funder
Funder's project number: ac165b
Funds granted by main funder (€)
- 100 000,00
Funding program
Project timetable
Project start date: 09/10/2023
Project end date: 30/09/2026
Summary
Background and need for the project:
Mental health problems are the leading cause of disability in Finland. One in five people suffer from mental health problems that threaten their ability to cope at work and progress in their studies. More and more young people are experiencing anxiety that disrupts their daily lives and impairs their ability to function. Despite good results, the approach of existing psychotherapies ignores the growing knowledge of the psychophysiological responses associated with anxiety. The treatment of anxiety should therefore pay more attention to the client's perceived ability to regulate his or her affect and psychophysiological responses, and to support the development of regulation and activate mechanisms that calm the nervous system. Exposure to cold water, rather than winter swimming, has been shown to have such effects. Although the psychophysiological effects of winter swimming on health have been studied, we have little information on its effects on mental health. There is little research on the purposeful use of winter swimming as a wellbeing enhancer as part of a more traditional psychotherapeutic process. However, previous research on mental wellbeing has yielded promising results.
Aim:
The project will develop a treatment model for anxiety and depression that combines a brief psychotherapy group focusing on strengthening emotional regulation with a joint winter swimming session. The aim is to improve the mental health of the participants and to strengthen their self-management skills after rehabilitation. The psychotherapy focuses on emotional skills: fears and how to face them, recognizing one's own limits, courage and challenging oneself, anger and how to express it safely, body-mind connection and how to strengthen it, emotions and ways of regulating emotions, recognizing and regulating mood, self-awareness and self-acceptance, self-criticism and self-compassion, the importance of one's own history in emotional expression, presence and calming down, resources and strengths. In addition to the development of the model, its effects will be studied in cooperation between the psychotherapists developing the model and the University of Jyväkylä, in young adults suffering from anxiety and/or depressive symptoms.
Project implementation.
In order to study the impact of the intervention model, a group combining the brief psychotherapy group and the winter swimming session will be carried out during the project. In addition, a control group will be formed, which will only participate in the brief psychotherapy group with the same content. Their well-being will be monitored through a series of self-assessments and psychophysiological measurements. The groups are run by psychotherapists Airo and Lehtonen. The project manager is Associate Professor Aro, who is responsible for overall project implementation and reporting. The research team includes Associate Professor Kykyri and University Researcher Penttonen, who are involved in the design, data analysis and reporting of the study. A research assistant will be recruited to collect the data and project researchers will be employed.
Outcomes and impacts an dissemination
At its best, winter swimming speeds up the therapeutic process and increases the client's self-care contribution, with cost benefits for the psychotherapy provider and the client. A written description of the intervention model will be produced and national training on combining winter swimming and psychotherapy will be provided.
Mental health problems are the leading cause of disability in Finland. One in five people suffer from mental health problems that threaten their ability to cope at work and progress in their studies. More and more young people are experiencing anxiety that disrupts their daily lives and impairs their ability to function. Despite good results, the approach of existing psychotherapies ignores the growing knowledge of the psychophysiological responses associated with anxiety. The treatment of anxiety should therefore pay more attention to the client's perceived ability to regulate his or her affect and psychophysiological responses, and to support the development of regulation and activate mechanisms that calm the nervous system. Exposure to cold water, rather than winter swimming, has been shown to have such effects. Although the psychophysiological effects of winter swimming on health have been studied, we have little information on its effects on mental health. There is little research on the purposeful use of winter swimming as a wellbeing enhancer as part of a more traditional psychotherapeutic process. However, previous research on mental wellbeing has yielded promising results.
Aim:
The project will develop a treatment model for anxiety and depression that combines a brief psychotherapy group focusing on strengthening emotional regulation with a joint winter swimming session. The aim is to improve the mental health of the participants and to strengthen their self-management skills after rehabilitation. The psychotherapy focuses on emotional skills: fears and how to face them, recognizing one's own limits, courage and challenging oneself, anger and how to express it safely, body-mind connection and how to strengthen it, emotions and ways of regulating emotions, recognizing and regulating mood, self-awareness and self-acceptance, self-criticism and self-compassion, the importance of one's own history in emotional expression, presence and calming down, resources and strengths. In addition to the development of the model, its effects will be studied in cooperation between the psychotherapists developing the model and the University of Jyväkylä, in young adults suffering from anxiety and/or depressive symptoms.
Project implementation.
In order to study the impact of the intervention model, a group combining the brief psychotherapy group and the winter swimming session will be carried out during the project. In addition, a control group will be formed, which will only participate in the brief psychotherapy group with the same content. Their well-being will be monitored through a series of self-assessments and psychophysiological measurements. The groups are run by psychotherapists Airo and Lehtonen. The project manager is Associate Professor Aro, who is responsible for overall project implementation and reporting. The research team includes Associate Professor Kykyri and University Researcher Penttonen, who are involved in the design, data analysis and reporting of the study. A research assistant will be recruited to collect the data and project researchers will be employed.
Outcomes and impacts an dissemination
At its best, winter swimming speeds up the therapeutic process and increases the client's self-care contribution, with cost benefits for the psychotherapy provider and the client. A written description of the intervention model will be produced and national training on combining winter swimming and psychotherapy will be provided.
Principal Investigator
Other persons related to this project (JYU)
Primary responsible unit
Follow-up groups
Profiling area: Behaviour change, health, and well-being across the lifespan (University of Jyväskylä JYU) BC-Well; School of Wellbeing (University of Jyväskylä JYU) JYU.Well
