Researchers in Salzburg, Austria found that 20 participants who had attempted suicide at least once showed a significant reduction in hopelessness (P < 0.0001), depression (P < 0.0001) and suicidal ideation (P < 0.005) associated with a 9-week mountain hiking program. Results will appear in Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica.
Note from Kermit Cole, “In the News” editor:
“P” stands for the chance that any one instance of a study’s result might have happened by chance. The standard threshold for “significance” in a study is “P” less than 0.05 (A five percent chance of the result having occurred by chance). I included the P values in this study because they are so much more robust: less than a one in 10,000 chance that the finding of reduced hopelessness or depression might have happened by chance, or less than a five in 1000 chance that the finding of reduced suicidal ideation might have happened by chance. Given that we’re talking about the effectiveness of taking a walk, I thought it seemed pertinent to highlight the strong “significance” value that the study reports.
I would guess that it is all part of the healing process found in nature, in exercise and fresh air: common- sense really-just ask the older generations
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I always feel better when I hike, no matter what is bothering me. I’ve struggled at times with fairly severe depression, and biking and hiking are by far my most effective interventions.
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