Anxiety, Depression, Loneliness, Older Adults, Psychological Intervention, Social Connectedness, Subjective Well-being
Conditions
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to explore the potential effectiveness of a one-session online Awareness, Courage, and Love intervention for reducing loneliness, depression and anxiety symptoms, and enhancing social connectedness and subjective well-being among older adults. the study also aims to estimate the effect sizes of the Awareness, Courage, and Love intervention.
Detailed description
The recruitment process will commence with referrals from local community organizations. Eligible individuals will be provided with detailed information about the study, and informed consent will be obtained from those willing to participate. After the confirmation of participant recruitment, a randomization process will be implemented to ensure the equitable distribution of participants between the intervention and waitlist control groups. An independent researcher will generate computer-generated random codes for group assignment, and these codes will be securely sealed in opaque envelopes. The envelopes will be sequentially numbered, and the randomization process will remain blinded throughout to prevent bias. Participants will be notified via email or text for the details of the condition they are assigned, and their willingness to engage in both the intervention and data collection will be confirmed.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALThe Awareness, Courage and Love Intervention
Derived from Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP), the Awareness, Courage, and Love (ACL) Intervention brings the FAP principles to a broader population. In the ACL model, awareness is defined as engaging in mindful awareness of one's self (feelings, needs, values), other individuals, and the context in which interactions are taking place. Courage is defined as engaging in authentic, vulnerable self-disclosures (e.g. struggles, appreciation), and asking for what one wants and needs. Love is defined as providing empathically accurate responsiveness, including provision of safety, validation, and giving the other person what they have asked for when possible.
Sponsors
Caritas Institute of Higher Education
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
SINGLE (Investigator)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
60 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
1. aged 60 years or older and dwelling in the community; 2. able to communicate in Cantonese; 3. have access to the internet and videoconferencing devices such as a mobile phone; 4. able to give informed consent to participate.
Exclusion criteria
1. severe emotional distress based on PHQ-4 screening assessment or presenting an imminent suicidal risk; 2. known history of autism, intellectual disability, schizophrenia-spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, Parkinson's disease, or dementia/significant cognitive impairment; 3. illiterate; 4. difficulty in communication.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Changes from Baseline on the Inclusion of Others in Self (IOS) at Immediately post-intervention and One-month post-intervention follow-up | Baseline, Immediately post-intervention and One-month post-intervention follow-up | The single-item Inclusion of Others in the Self (IOS) scale is to measure how close the respondent feels with another person or group. Respondents choose a pair of photos from seven with different degrees of overlap. Possible scores range from 1 (No overlap) to 7 (Most overlap). |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Changes from Baseline on the 6-item de Jong Gierveld loneliness scale at Immediately post-intervention and One-month post-intervention follow-up | Baseline, Immediately post-intervention and One-month post-intervention follow-up | The 6-item De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale is a reliable and valid measurement instrument for overall, emotional, and social loneliness. The possible range of scores is from 0 (Least lonely) to 6 (Most lonely). |
| Changes from Baseline on the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) at Immediately post-intervention and One-month post-intervention follow-up | Baseline, Immediately post-intervention and One-month post-intervention follow-up | The PHQ-9 is a multipurpose instrument for screening, diagnosing, monitoring and measuring the severity of depression over the last 2 weeks. The interpretation of total scores ranges from 1-4 (Minimal depression) to 20-27 (Severe depression). |
| Changes from Baseline on the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 2-item (GAD-2) at Immediately post-intervention and One-month post-intervention follow-up | Baseline, Immediately post-intervention and One-month post-intervention follow-up | The GAD-2 is a very brief and easy to perform initial screening tool for generalized anxiety disorder over the last 2 weeks. The possible scores range from 0 to 6. Higher scores are associated with higher levels of anxiety. A score of 3 points or more suggests possible anxiety. |
| Changes from Baseline on The World Health Organisation- Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5) at Immediately post-intervention and One-month post-intervention follow-up | Baseline, Immediately post-intervention and One-month post-intervention follow-up | The WHO-5 is a short self-reported measure of current mental wellbeing. The total raw score, ranging from 0 to 25, is multiplied by 4 to give the final score, with 0 representing the worst imaginable well-being and 100 representing the best imaginable well-being. |
Countries
Hong Kong
Contacts
Primary ContactCheong Yu Chan, Dr
Outcome results
None listed