Instructed Indoor Bouldering as a Short-Term Mental Health Intervention

This project investigates the effectiveness of Climbing for Wellbeing (CfW), an existing programme of structured instructor-led bouldering tuition to help manage MHW for residents in the London.

Project Summary

Through an interdisciplinary collaboration between researchers in Geography (UCL Social and Historical Sciences), Psychology and Language Sciences (UCL Brain Sciences), and an external practitioner, this project investigates the effectiveness of Climbing for Wellbeing (CfW), an existing programme of structured instructor-led bouldering tuition to help manage MHW for residents in LB Waltham Forest. 

CfW is a self-referred, social-prescription style intervention that provides adults with four 1- hour instructor-led bouldering sessions at Yonder indoor climbing centre, Walthamstow. Indoor bouldering is ropeless climbing that sees participants ascend walls up to 4.5m of varying degrees using pre-determined ‘routes’ mapped out on plastic and wooden holds on panelled walls above padded floors. 

Feedback on past CfW sessions submitted for council auditing shows that the intervention is successful at improving MHW. This feedback reflects research findings showing bouldering is proven to increase MHW and alleviate depression and anxiety1.

However, the mechanisms underpinning this effect have not been established, and a systematic evaluation of what works and why is much needed 2. This project will evaluate the efficacy of CfW and explore the mechanisms underpinning the relationship between climbing and wellbeing. The investigation is focused around three areas: climbing as ‘flow’ experience, inclusivity, and materiality.

1.    Gassner, L., Dabnichki, P., Langer, A., Pokan, R., Zach, H., Ludwig, M., & Santer, A. (2022). The Therapeutic Effects of Climbing: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis. PM&R, 15(9).  

2.     Hall, L., Maria Stefania Ionel, Gude, A., Trașcă, A., Murray, H., & Gridley, N. (2023). The Associations between Climbing and Mental Health and Wellbeing: A Mixed-Methods Scoping Review (Preprint).