ArticleHeliyon2018
Bouldering psychotherapy reduces depressive symptoms even when general physical activity is controlled for: A randomized controlled trial.
Article in Heliyon, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 45 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effectiveness of indoor rock climbing and bouldering as treatment for depression - a systematic review.BMC psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- WISE-Therapy (What's Important: Schedule and Engage) and bouldering psychotherapy for depression: A randomized clinical trial.BMC medicine · 2026Trial
- Climbing as an Add-On Treatment Option for Patients with Severe Anxiety Disorders and PTSD: Feasibility Analysis and First Results of a Randomized Controlled Longitudinal Clinical Pilot Trial.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Trial
- A Comparison of Acute Effects of Climbing Therapy with Nordic Walking for Inpatient Adults with Mental Health Disorder: A Clinical Pilot Trial.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Trial
- Is bouldering-psychotherapy a cost-effective way to treat depression when compared to group cognitive behavioral therapy - results from a randomized controlled trial.BMC health services research · 2021Trial
- Bouldering psychotherapy is more effective in the treatment of depression than physical exercise alone: results of a multicentre randomised controlled intervention study.BMC psychiatry · 2020Trial
- Can exercise truly alleviate mild-to-moderate and subthreshold depression? Evidence from randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Review
- Internet-Based Psycho-Physical Exercise Intervention Program in Mild-to-Moderate Depression: The Study Protocol of the SONRIE Randomized Controlled Trial.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- A psychosocial bouldering intervention improves the well-being of young refugees and adolescents from the host community in Lebanon: results from a pragmatic controlled trial.Conflict and health · 2024Article
- Article
- A Climbing (Bouldering) Intervention to Increase the Psychological Well-Being of Adolescents in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon-Study Protocol for a Controlled Trial.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- The Origin, Application and Mechanism of Therapeutic Climbing: A Narrative Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Review
- Recreational climbers are more conscientious than recreational athletes-a case control study.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2022Article
- The Impact of Wearable Technologies in Health Research: Scoping Review.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2022Article
- Affective Responses to Both Climbing and Nordic Walking Exercise Are Associated With Intermediate-Term Increases in Physical Activity in Patients With Anxiety and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder - A Randomized Longitudinal Controlled Clinical Pilot Trial.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Article
- Kratom use for depression/anxiety self-management: challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic - A case report.Heliyon · 2021Article
- Comprehensive comparison of Apple Watch and Fitbit monitors in a free-living setting.PloS one · 2021Article
- Relation of Physical Activity with the Depression: A Short Review.Journal of lifestyle medicine · 2020Review
- Long-term effects of bouldering psychotherapy on depression: benefits can be maintained across a 12-month follow-up.Heliyon · 2019Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundBouldering psychotherapy (BPT) combines psychotherapeutic elements with physical activity (PA). It might be effective for reducing symptoms of depression, but so far, no study has assessed individuals' levels of PA to control for whether positive effects on depression can also be found when adjusting for participants' levels of PA. This is important because PA itself has been proven effective in reducing depression and therefore might be an important variable to account for - especially in therapies using sport as one therapeutic mechanism.
methodsUsing a waitlist control group design, outpatients with depression were assessed at baseline and after eight, 16, and 24 weeks. The intervention group took part in an eight-week bouldering psychotherapy which met once a week for three hours. Self-report measures before and after the intervention included the Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), and the questionnaire on resources and self-management skills (FERUS). PA was assessed during the first 16-week period via FitBit Zip accelerometers.
resultsAltogether, 47 complete cases (20 men and 27 women) were included in the final analyses. Depression scores dropped by up to 6.74 (CI 2.80-10.67) points on the SCL-90-R depression scale and by up to 8.26 (CI 4.21-12.31) points on the BDI-II during the BPT intervention, the control group remained stable (SCL-90-R Cohen's LIMITATIONS: Limitations of the study are the relatively small number of patients and the assessment of outcome scores via self-report.
conclusionsThis study provides evidence that short-term BPT can be effective for reducing symptoms of depression even if controlled for other therapeutically active confounders including antidepressant medication, psychotherapy and general level of PA.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.