An interventional study of Self-efficacy training in Psychological and Behavioral Symptoms, sponsored by University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland. Completed at 1 site in Switzerland. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-08-13.
Sponsored by University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland · Not applicable, Interventional, and Basic science
The primary goal of this study is to determine whether a self-efficacy training can increase the probability of taking cold showers regularly over a three-month period. Secondary objectives are to assess effects on physical and mental well-being, sleep quality, skin and hair appearance, perceived illness, and related sickness absences from work.
This study is an extension of our two ongoing studies: Feasibility and effects of taking cold showers: A randomized controlled study (Study ID 2019-00529) and Mindset interventions to facilitate taking cold showers: A randomized controlled study (Study ID 2022-00952), which have been approved by the EKNZ. Our ongoing study closely follows the protocol of a previous and similar study by Buijze and colleagues (2016).
This study extends our ongoing study by including experimental conditions, while retaining the original study procedure, i.e., the same recruitment, inclusion/exclusion criteria, and assessments.
135 studies on the registry are indexed under Behavioral Symptoms; 18 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 127 is above the median of 93 across 114 interventional studies indexed under Behavioral Symptoms.
Browse Behavioral Symptoms studies →University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland is the lead sponsor of 990 studies on the registry; 189 are open to participants now.
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Exclusion criteria
Self-efficacy training
Other: Self-efficacy training
No Training
The primary goal of this study is to determine whether self-efficacy training can increase the probability of taking cold showers regularly over a three-month period.
Showering behaviour concerning frequency (Baseline)
Participants will be asked how often they showered during the last week.
Time frame: Baseline
Showering behaviour concerning duration (Baseline)
Participants will be asked how long they showered for during the last week.
Time frame: Baseline
Showering behaviour concerning motivation (Baseline)
Participants will be asked their motivation for taking cold showers during the last week.
Time frame: Baseline
Showering behaviour concerning frequency (Week 1)
Participants will be asked how often they showered during the last week.
Time frame: Week 1
Showering behaviour concerning duration (Week 1)
Participants will be asked how long they showered for during the last week.
Time frame: Week 1
Showering behaviour concerning motivation (Week 1)
Participants will be asked their motivation for taking cold showers during the last week.
Time frame: Week 1
Showering behaviour concerning frequency (Week 2)
Participants will be asked how often they showered during the last week.
Time frame: Week 2
Showering behaviour concerning duration (Week 2)
Participants will be asked how long they showered for during the last week.
Time frame: Week 2
Showering behaviour concerning motivation (Week 2)
Participants will be asked their motivation for taking cold showers during the last week.
Time frame: Week 2
Showering behaviour concerning frequency (Week 3)
Participants will be asked how often they showered during the last week.
Time frame: Week 3
Showering behaviour concerning duration (Week 3)
Participants will be asked how long they showered for during the last week.
Time frame: Week 3
Showering behaviour concerning motivation (Week 3)
Participants will be asked their motivation for taking cold showers during the last week.
Time frame: Week 3
Showering behaviour concerning frequency (Week 4)
Participants will be asked how often they showered during the last week.
Time frame: Week 4
Showering behaviour concerning duration (Week 4)
Participants will be asked how long they showered for during the last week.
Time frame: Week 4
Showering behaviour concerning motivation (Week 4)
Participants will be asked their motivation for taking cold showers during the last week.
Time frame: Week 4
Showering behaviour concerning frequency (Week 5)
Participants will be asked how often they showered during the last week.
Time frame: Week 5
Showering behaviour concerning duration (Week 5)
Participants will be asked how long they showered for during the last week.
Time frame: Week 5
Showering behaviour concerning motivation (Week 5)
Participants will be asked their motivation for taking cold showers during the last week.
Time frame: Week 5
Showering behaviour concerning frequency (Week 6)
Participants will be asked how often they showered during the last week.
Time frame: Week 6
Showering behaviour concerning duration (Week 6)
Participants will be asked how long they showered for during the last week.
Time frame: Week 6
Showering behaviour concerning motivation (Week 6)
Participants will be asked their motivation for taking cold showers during the last week.
Time frame: Week 6
Showering behaviour concerning frequency (Week 7)
Participants will be asked how often they showered during the last week.
Time frame: Week 7
Showering behaviour concerning duration (Week 7)
Participants will be asked how long they showered for during the last week.
Time frame: Week 7
Showering behaviour concerning motivation (Week 7)
Participants will be asked their motivation for taking cold showers during the last week.
Time frame: Week 7
Showering behaviour concerning frequency (Week 8)
Participants will be asked how often they showered during the last week.
Time frame: Week 8
Showering behaviour concerning duration (Week 8)
Participants will be asked how long they showered for during the last week.
Time frame: Week 8
Showering behaviour concerning motivation (Week 8)
Participants will be asked their motivation for taking cold showers during the last week.
Time frame: Week 8
Showering behaviour concerning frequency (Week 9)
Participants will be asked how often they showered during the last week.
Time frame: Week 9
Showering behaviour concerning duration (Week 9)
Participants will be asked how long they showered for during the last week.
Time frame: Week 9
Showering behaviour concerning motivation (Week 9)
Participants will be asked their motivation for taking cold showers during the last week.
Time frame: Week 9
Showering behaviour concerning frequency (Week 10)
Participants will be asked how often they showered during the last week.
Time frame: Week 10
Showering behaviour concerning duration (Week 10)
Participants will be asked how long they showered for during the last week.
Time frame: Week 10
Showering behaviour concerning motivation (Week 10)
Participants will be asked their motivation for taking cold showers during the last week.
Time frame: Week 10
Showering behaviour concerning frequency (Week 11)
Participants will be asked how often they showered during the last week.
Time frame: Week 11
Showering behaviour concerning duration (Week 11)
Participants will be asked how long they showered for during the last week.
Time frame: Week 11
Showering behaviour concerning motivation (Week 11)
Participants will be asked their motivation for taking cold showers during the last week.
Time frame: Week 11
Showering behaviour concerning frequency (Week 12)
Participants will be asked how often they showered during the last week.
Time frame: Week 12
Showering behaviour concerning duration (Week 12)
Participants will be asked how long they showered for during the last week.
Time frame: Week 12
Showering behaviour concerning motivation (Week 12)
Participants will be asked their motivation for taking cold showers during the last week.
Time frame: Week 12
WHO Five Well-Being Index
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.
Time frame: All secondary outcomes will be assessed at baseline and then monthly for 3 months.
Questionnaire for positive aspects of well-being in adults
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.
Time frame: All secondary outcomes will be assessed at baseline and then monthly for 3 months.
International Physical Activity Questionnaire
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?
Time frame: All secondary outcomes will be assessed at baseline and then monthly for 3 months.
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index
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?
Time frame: All secondary outcomes will be assessed at baseline and then monthly for 3 months.
Skin quality questionnaire
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.
Time frame: All secondary outcomes will be assessed at baseline and then monthly for 3 months.
Sickness absence and illness days
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.
Time frame: All secondary outcomes will be assessed at baseline and then monthly for 3 months.
Plan to share: No
Ran from Dec 2023 to primary completion in Jun 2024, 5 months.
Of 68 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Behavioral Symptoms, half reached primary completion within 27 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 16 and three quarters within 55. This study's 5 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 68 studies reached it within 27 months; a quarter within 16 and three quarters within 55.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is completed, as verified in Aug 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland →