STUDY PROTOCOL article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Public Mental Health
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1603700
This article is part of the Research TopicThe Intersection of Psychology, Healthy Behaviors, and its OutcomesView all 102 articles
Protocol for a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on the Effects of Cold-water Exposure on Mental Health
Provisionally accepted
- Charité University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Cold-water exposure has gained increasing popularity as a self-applied intervention for improving mental health and psychological well-being. While anecdotal evidence and popular media suggest potential benefits for reducing stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, the scientific evidence supporting these claims remains fragmented. This protocol outlines the methodology for a systematic review and meta-analysis aiming to critically appraise and synthesize the available evidence on the effects of CWE on mental health outcomes in adult populations, including both healthy individuals and those with clinical conditions. The review will examine both psychological variables and physiological stress markers in response to cold-water exposure interventions. Following PRIMSA 2020 guidelines, a systematic search will be conducted in PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, and Web of Science. Eligible studies will include randomized controlled trials, controlled clinical trials without randomization, cohort studies, and case-control studies. Risk of bias will be assessed using RoB1 for randomized controlled trials, ROBINS-I for non-randomized intervention studies, and ROBINS-E for observational studies. Random-effects meta-analyses will be conducted where sufficient data are available. The review will provide a structured quantitative synthesis of cold-water exposure's effects on mental health, helping to bridge the gap between popular claims and empirical evidence. The findings will inform future research, public health guidelines, and the development of safe and effective cold-water exposure protocols for clinical and wellness applications.
Keywords: cold-water exposure, Mental Health, stress reduction, Anxiety, Depression, swimming-based
Received: 31 Mar 2025; Accepted: 12 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Schepanski, Batta, Schröter, Seifert and Koch. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Steven Schepanski, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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