Alleviating Loneliness in Older Adults Living in Poverty: A Multi-level Intervention
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age65+
SponsorEducation University of Hong Kong
About this trial
The study aims to reduce loneliness among Hong Kong Chinese older adults living in poverty with a multi-level intervention involving components at the individual, interpersonal, and community levels.
Eligibility criteria
This trial accepts healthy volunteersQualifiers
aged 65 years or older
living in poverty (defined: inability to afford at least 5 items on the material deprivation index)
proficiency in spoken Cantonese
experiencing loneliness (defined: score of ≥ 6 on the 3-item UCLA Loneliness Scale)
Disqualifiers
cognitive impairments, psychiatric disorders, learning disabilities, or active suicidal ideation
actively participating in other psychotherapy or psychosocial interventions in the past 1 year
Trial design
Design model
Parallel
Treatments tested in this trial
Individual Level
BehavioralA 8-weekly, 1hour telephone-delivered sessions using mindfulness and SOLUS-D program. Key contents include: introduction to mindfulness - Body awareness and present moment experiences, emotional awareness and mind-body labeling, relaxation techniques and sensory discrimination, deepening awareness and accepting feelings, personal values, interconnection between thought patterns and emotions, identifying and analyzing of thought traps, and challenging thoughts and future planning. Maintenance sessions which focus on embedding mindfulness practices and SOLUS-D program among older adults as a persistent habit will be conducted.
Interpersonal Level
BehavioralA 8 weekly, 1hr sessions through telephone or Zoom using the Group 4 Health. Key contents include: understanding the benefits of social connections, exploring self and community, community and action, support and breakthrough, summary and moving forward. Maintenance sessions which focus on continuous practice of support and community will be conducted.
Community Level
BehavioralA 4 weekly, 2hour in-person sessions through (1) strengthening collective efficacy via neighbor identification with the community. Key contents include: building neighbourhood connections, getting to know each other, health aging, neighbourhood care, vibrant exploration, thriving community, connecting the dots.
Education Control
Other interventionMonthly monthly messages via text, graphics or voice recordings will be sent over a period of 6 months. Key content includes: healthy diet tips, recognizing warning signs of health, understanding dementia, fall prevention tips, health message, and anti-fraud tips.
Treatment groups
1,344 Participants
are divided into 4 treatment groupsGroup A: First ArmExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group B: Second ArmExperimental treatment 2 interventions
Group C: Third ArmExperimental treatment 3 interventions
Group D: Forth ArmActive comparator 1 intervention
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
1
UCLA Loneliness Scale
The 20-item UCLA Loneliness Scale is a reliable self-assessment tool designed to evaluate feelings of loneliness. Each item will be rated from 1=Never to 4=Always. Total scores range from 20 to 80.
Time frame
Baseline, 2-month, 4-month, 6-month, 12-month, 24-monthSecondary outcomes
1
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index
PSQI evaluates seven components of sleep: sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, sleep efficiency, sleep disturbance, use of sleep medication, and daytime dysfunction. Each item will be rated from 0=No difficulty to 3=Severe difficulty. Total scores range from 0 to 21,
Time frame
Baseline, 2-month, 4-month, 6-month, 12-month, 24-month2
Satisfaction with Life Scale
SWLS measures the subjective well-being and life satisfaction. Each item will be rated from 1=Strongly disagree to 7=Strongly agree. Total scores range from 5 to 35.
Time frame
Baseline, 2-month, 4-month, 6-month, 12-month, 24-month3
De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale
The De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale is known for assessing loneliness with social and emotional loneliness subscale. Each item will be rated from 1=Yes to 3=No. Total scores range from 0 to 6, with subscale score ranging from 0 to 3.
Time frame
Baseline, 2-month, 4-month, 6-month, 12-month, 24-month4
Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living
IADL is used to measure participant's ability in performing instrumental activities. Each item will be rated 0=dependent to 1=independent. Total scores range from 0 to 8.
Time frame
Baseline, 12-month, 24-monthOther outcomes
1
Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale
Each item will be rated from 1=Almost always to 6=Almost never. Average score will be calculated.
Time frame
Baseline, 2-month, 4-month, 6-month, 12-month, 24-month2
Self-Compassion Scale
SCS-SF measures self-compassion and have 6 subscales. Each item will be rated from 1=Almost never to 5=Almost always. Mean score will be calculated for each subscale and overall scale.
Time frame
Baseline, 2-month, 4-month, 6-month, 12-month, 24-month3
Emotion Regulation Questionnaire
ERQ-CR is used for assessing emotional regulation strategies; cognitive reappraisal (6 items). Each item will be rated from 1=Strongly disagree to 7=Strongly agree. Mean score will be calculated.
Time frame
Baseline, 2-month, 4-month, 6-month, 12-month, 24-month4
Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support
MSPSS evaluates the social support derived from three key sources: family, friends, and significant others. Each item will be rated from 1=Strongly disagree to 7=Strongly agree. Total scores range from 12 to 84.
Time frame
Baseline, 2-month, 4-month, 6-month, 12-month, 24-monthSponsors and contacts
Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.
Education University of Hong Kong
Lead sponsor
University College, London
Collaborator
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Collaborator
University of Texas at Austin
Collaborator
Australian National University
Collaborator
The University of Hong Kong
Collaborator
Medical School Berlin
Collaborator
Chinese University of Hong Kong
Collaborator
University of Bern
Collaborator
Linkoeping University
Collaborator
Source ClinicalTrials.gov