Health TrialsbyHealthPanel

Effect of a Telephone Reminiscence Intervention on Mental Health

ConditionMental Health
Trial statusNot yet recruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age60+
SponsorUniversity of Connecticut

About this trial

The goal of this study is to learn whether a telephone-based program that helps people share life memories can reduce loneliness and improve mental well-being, life satisfaction, and social support in older adults and their caregivers living in rural areas.

This study has two parts. In the first part, researchers will gather feedback from a small group of older adults and informal caregivers to see if the updated telephone reminiscence program works well and is easy to use.

In the second part, researchers will test the telephone reminiscence program in a clinical trial study to see whether the updated telephone reminiscence program reduces loneliness and improves social support, life satisfaction, and mental well-being in older adults and their caregivers. The researchers will also examine how the program impacts how often and for what reason you reminisce.

The main questions this study aims to answer are:

* Does the telephone reminiscence program improve social support, life satisfaction, and mental well-being and reduce loneliness in rural older adults and their caregivers? How does the telephone reminiscence impact how often and for what reason participants reminisce? * How often and how long do participants use the program? * How satisfied are older adults and informal caregivers with the program? In this study researchers will compare participants who begin the telephone reminiscence program right away with participants who start the program after a 12-week waiting period to see whether starting the program earlier leads to better outcomes.

Participants will:

* Take part in telephone calls 3 times a week that invite older adults to talk about their life experiences. * Answer brief survey questions about social support, loneliness, and mental well-being, and life satisfaction over time. * Include both older adults and their informal caregivers, who may also participate by recording questions in their own voice.

Eligibility criteria

This trial accepts healthy volunteers

Qualifiers

Older adults aged 60 years or older living in a rural area and their caregivers aged 18 or older..

Able to read and speak English.

Living in a rural area as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Has an informal caregiver (family member, partner, friend, or neighbor) willing to participate, or is an informal caregiver of an eligible older adult.

Disqualifiers

Significant hearing impairment that would interfere with telephone participation.

Cognitive impairment as indicated by three or more errors on a brief cognitive screening assessment.

Participation in the program development phase of this study.

Trial design

Design model

Parallel

Treatments tested in this trial

  • Telephone Reminiscence Program

    Behavioral

    The telephone reminiscence program is a 12-week behavioral intervention designed to support social connection and mental well-being among older adults living in rural areas. The program consists of automated telephone calls delivered up to three times per week that invite older adult participants to respond to simple, meaningful questions about their life experiences and memories. Participants may share as much or as little as they wish during each call and may end the call at any time. Informal caregivers associated with participating older adults may also take part by recording personalized questions or prompts in their own voice. The program does not require internet access, smartphones, or computer use.

Treatment groups

170 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groups
Group A: Immediate Telephone Reminiscence ProgramExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group B: Wait-List Control (Delayed Telephone Reminiscence Program)No intervention 0 interventions

Trial outcomes

Primary outcomes

1

Mental Well-Being

The Mental Health Continuum Short Form (MHC-SF) will be used to assess mental health and well-being. The 14 item scale measures emotional, social, and psychological dimensions of mental health. Participants answer each item on a 6-point scale, ranging from 0 and 5, resulting in a total score between 0 to 70. The emotional well-being subscale has a range from 0 to 15, the social well-being subscale scores range from 0 to 25, and the psychological well-being subscale scores range from 0 to 30. Higher scores on MHC- SF indicate a higher level of mental well-being. The MHC-SF has demonstrated excellent internal consistency (\>.80) and discriminant validity in adults in the United States, and its test-retest reliability has also been demonstrated, with an average of 0.68 over three consecutive three-month periods and 0.65 over a 9-month period.

Time frame
Baseline, 12 weeks, and 24 weeks
2

Social Support

Social support will be measured using 11-item Duke Social Support Index (DSSI), designed to provide a quick and reliable assessment of social support among older adults. This scale evaluates social support across two domains, including social interactions and subjective support. The total score of the scale ranges from 11 to 33. A higher score indicates more social support. The 11-item DSSI demonstrates strong reliability and validity. The scale's internal consistency is reflected in a Cronbach's alpha of 0.77 for elderly populations and its Test-retest reliability scores range from 0.70 to 0.81.

Time frame
Baseline, 12 weeks, and 24 weeks
3

Loneliness

Loneliness will be measured UCLA 3 Item Loneliness Scale is a brief 3-item scale that measures three dimensions of loneliness: relational connectedness, social connectedness, and self. Responses are provided on a 3-point (response scale ranging from "hardly" to "often", with total scores ranging from 3 to 9. The instrument has favorable psychometric properties, including high internal consistency (ranging from 0.89 to 0.94) and a good test-retest reliability over one year (r = 0.73).

Time frame
Baseline, 12 weeks, and 24 weeks
4

Life satisfaction

Life satisfaction will be measured using the Satisfaction with Life Scale, which assesses overall cognitive judgments of one's life satisfaction. Higher scores indicate greater life satisfaction.

Time frame
Baseline, 12, 24 weeks

Secondary outcomes

1

Program Adherence

Program adherence will be assessed by the proportion of scheduled telephone calls completed by participants during the intervention period.

Time frame
During the 12-week intervention period
2

Frequency and Duration of Program Use

Frequency and duration of use will be assessed by the number of telephone reminiscence calls completed per week and the duration of each call during the intervention period.

Time frame
During the 12-week intervention period
3

Reminiscence Functions

Reminiscence Functions will be assessed using the Modified Reminiscence Functions Scale (MRFS), a 29-item questionnaire that measures how often people use different types of reminiscence. The scale captures multiple reminiscence functions, including self-regard, death preparation, bitterness revival, conversation, intimacy maintenance, teaching and informing, and boredom reduction. Participants rate how often they engage in each type of reminiscence on a 5-point scale ranging from never to very often. Higher scores indicate more frequent use of a specific reminiscence function. The MRFS has demonstrated good reliability, with strong internal consistency across subscales.

Time frame
Baseline, 12, 24 weeks

Other outcomes

Sponsors and contacts

Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.

University of Connecticut

Lead sponsor

National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Collaborator

Source ClinicalTrials.gov

This trial is not recruiting at the moment. You can still explore other options: