Phone Pal: volunteering via smart-phone for people with psychosis

Phone Pal: a mixed methods exploratory study of an intervention for people with psychosis to get in contact with a volunteer via smart-phone

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN17586238

Enrollment

Registered

2018-09-28

Start date

2018-10-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2026-03-16

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Psychosis Mental and Behavioural Disorders Psychosis

Interventions

A patient participant will be matched with a volunteer participant. Each patient-volunteer pair will be encouraged to communicate during 12 weeks with each other, through a smart-phone, once per week,

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to 120 Years

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Patients: 1. Aged 18 years or over 2. Clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia or a related psychotic disorder (ICD 10: F20- 29) 3. Interested in having a volunteer with whom they would be in contact through a smart-phone for 12 weeks 4. Receiving care in secondary NHS mental health services 5. Capacity to provide informed consent 6. Sufficient command of English to complete the measures Volunteers: 1. Aged 18 years or over 2. Interested in having a patient with whom they would be in contact through a smart-phone for 12 weeks 3. Capacity to provide informed consent 4. Sufficient command of English to complete the measures

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: Patients and volunteers: 1. Unable to use smart-phones, even if provided with appropriate assistive technology

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Feasibility and acceptability of the intervention will be evaluated by assessing the patterns of smart-phone usage (texts, WhatsApp messages, e-mails, make audio or video phone-calls) within each patient-volunteer pair, and interviewing participants at the end of the study.	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
The following are assessed at the baseline and at the end of the study for both patients and volunteers. For patient participants: 1. Smart-phone preferences usage, assessed by self-reported smart-phone usage 2. Step count, assessed by the smart-phone 3. Quality of life, assessed using the Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of Life (MANSA) 4. Physical activity, assessed using the International physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ) 5. Self-esteem, assessed using the Self-Esteem Rating Scale – Short Form 6. Social comparison, assessed using the Social Comparison Scale 7. Attachment, assessed using the Revised Adult Attachment Scale (RAAS) 8. Strength of social network, assessed using the 7-days Social Contacts Assessment 9. Psychiatric symptoms, assessed using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) 10. Therapeutic relationship, assessed using the Scale to Assess Therapeutic Relationships – Patient Version (STAR-P) For volunteer participants: 1. Smart-phone preferences usage, assessed by self-reported smart-phone usage 2. Step count, assessed by the smart-phone 3. Quality of life, assessed using the Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of Life (MANSA) 4. Physical activity, assessed using the International physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ) 5. Self-esteem, assessed using the Self-Esteem Rating Scale – Short Form 6. Social comparison, assessed using the Social Comparison Scale 7. Social distance, assessed using the Social Distance Questionnaire (SDQ) 8. Therapeutic relationship, assessed using the Scale to Assess Therapeutic Relationships – Volunteer Version (STAR-V)	—

Measure

Time frame

The following are assessed at the baseline and at the end of the study for both patients and volunteers. For patient participants: 1. Smart-phone preferences usage, assessed by self-reported smart-phone usage 2. Step count, assessed by the smart-phone 3. Quality of life, assessed using the Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of Life (MANSA) 4. Physical activity, assessed using the International physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ) 5. Self-esteem, assessed using the Self-Esteem Rating Scale – Short Form 6. Social comparison, assessed using the Social Comparison Scale 7. Attachment, assessed using the Revised Adult Attachment Scale (RAAS) 8. Strength of social network, assessed using the 7-days Social Contacts Assessment 9. Psychiatric symptoms, assessed using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) 10. Therapeutic relationship, assessed using the Scale to Assess Therapeutic Relationships – Patient Version (STAR-P) For volunteer participants: 1. Smart-phone preferences usage, assessed by self-reported smart-phone usage 2. Step count, assessed by the smart-phone 3. Quality of life, assessed using the Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of Life (MANSA) 4. Physical activity, assessed using the International physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ) 5. Self-esteem, assessed using the Self-Esteem Rating Scale – Short Form 6. Social comparison, assessed using the Social Comparison Scale 7. Social distance, assessed using the Social Distance Questionnaire (SDQ) 8. Therapeutic relationship, assessed using the Scale to Assess Therapeutic Relationships – Volunteer Version (STAR-V)

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Countries

England, United Kingdom

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Mar 20, 2026