NCT07228013

Examining Effects of Active Plant Engagement on College Student Well-Being and Performance

Effects of Active Plant Engagement in Campus and Home Environments on College Student Mental Health and Academic Performance

• Status: Active Not Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 87 (actual)
• Sponsor: Colorado State University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The goal of this feasibility study is to determine if active engagement with plants (e.g. care, maintenance) improves mental health and academic performance in college students. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Does active engagement with plants result in improvements in academic motivation and study habits? 2. Does active engagement with plants result in reductions in stress and improvements in mood? Researchers will compare two interventions groups (campus plant engagement group and home plant engagement group) to the comparison group (no plant engagement or passive exposure) to clarify the practical and potential benefits of active plant care for college students. Participants will: * Complete four surveys over the course of a 16-week semester * Water, prune and check the soil of their assigned plants

Conditions

• Perceived Stress
• State Anxiety
• Intrinsic Goal Orientation
• Study Habits
• Mood
• Sleep Quality
• Connectedness to Nature
• Extrinsic Goal Orientation

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Active Plant Engagement	Weekly watering, pruning, and soil checks of assigned plants

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-08-22
• Primary completion: 2026-12-31
• Completion: 2026-12-31
• First posted: 2025-11-13
• Last updated: 2026-01-13

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States