Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)
Conditions
Keywords
mild cognitive impairment, acceptance and commitment therapy, neuropsychiatric symptoms
Brief summary
This pilot study aims to develop an automated instant message-delivered intervention (i.e., EMI) for people with mild cognitive impairment, and to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of the intervention.
Detailed description
1. Message contents: The message content library will consist of two parts: 1. brief mild cognitive impairment messages (optional), and 2. acceptance and commitment therapy messages (mandatory). 2. Message delivery * Regular messages: The messages in the two parts will be sent regularly to each participant. As personalisation is a core process subject to behavioural changes, the content, frequency, and timing of the messages will be determined based on participants' preferences. To save labour and increase efficiency, we will develop a message 'scheduler' program. We will pre-set the message scheduler, which will then automatically send out content to participants according to their preferences. The development of the program is highly useful particularly in cases which participants prefer to receive messages during non-office hours. * Therapist-led real-time support messages (chat-type): Chat-based support will be given to the participants as an extension of the regular messages. However, the participants will be informed beforehand that the RA will only play a supportive role and will not provide formal care. The number of the chat messages will not be limited, but the real-time support messages will only be provided during working hours (i.e., 9am-6pm) on weekdays to limit the RA's workload. Control Group: The control group will receive instant messages about mental health management from HKSAR Government website (https://www.shallwetalk.hk/en/mental-well-being/mental-well-being-is-related-to-you/), which is open to the public.
Interventions
Participants in intervention group will receive the EMI for 8 weeks. Based on the steps of mobile message development recommended by Abroms, et al., we will develop a message content library and protocol for EMI delivery.
Sponsors
The University of Hong Kong
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Investigator)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
50 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 50 years; HK-MoCA score range from 18 to 25; MBI-C ≥7; Able to read and communicate in Chinese (Cantonese or Putonghua); Able to use the text or voice messaging function on a smartphone.
Exclusion criteria
* Diagnosis of dementia; Diagnosis of psychiatric disease; Currently participating in any type of psychological or behavioural intervention for NPSs
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| MBI-C scores | 8 weeks | The primary outcome will be MBI-C scores to assess NPSs. A higher MBI-C scores will indicate a higher level of neuropsychiatric symptoms. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Depressive symptoms (PHQ-9) | 8 weeks | Each item was scored on a 4-point scale (0 not at all to 3 nearly every day). The total score is calculated by summing up the score of all items (range 0-27). High scores indicate worse depressive symptoms. |
| Anxiety symptoms (GAD-7) | 8 weeks | A 7-item scale with score ranging from 0 to 21, higher scores indicate higher severity of anxiety symptom |
| Cognitive functions (HK-MoCA) | 8 weeks | The total score is calculated by summing up the score of all items. Higher scores indicate better cognitive function. |
| Acceptance of negative emotions and valued-based actions (AAQ-II) | 8 weeks | AAQ-II is a measure of psychological flexibility. Each item is rated on a 7-point scale from 1 = never true to 7 = always true. Scores range from 1-49. A lower score indicates a lower level of psychological flexibility. |
Countries
Hong Kong
Outcome results
None listed