Emotional Well-being and Measures of Healthy Aging
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age40-70
SponsorNorthwestern University
About this trial
This randomized control study is designed to understand the role of a positive psychology intervention (PARK: Positive Affect Regulation sKills) in biological aging and well-being. PARK provides a series of positive emotion skills in a self-guided online format, making the program accessible and convenient.
Our main aims are:
Aim 1: To explore the effects of PARK on psychological well-being (e.g., depression, anxiety, positive affect).
Aim 2: To explore the effects of PARK on biological age as defined by DNA methylation (DNAm) GrimAge and electrocardiogram-age (ECG-age), as well as physiological well-being in adults (e.g., cardiovascular, endocrine, musculoskeletal functioning, etc.).
Eligibility criteria
This trial accepts healthy volunteersQualifiers
Age 40-70
Speaks and reads English
Able to access the online platform through their phone, a public device (i.e., at the library) or at home.
Lives in the Chicagoland area
Disqualifiers
Adults unable to consent
Individuals who are not yet adults (infants, children, teenagers)
Pregnant women
Prisoners
Trial design
Design model
Parallel
Treatments tested in this trial
Positive Emotion Skills Intervention
BehavioralSkills include positive events, capitalizing, gratitude, mindfulness, positive reappraisal, personal strengths, achievable goals, and self-compassion. The skills will be delivered over approximately 6 weeks, and individuals can participate from any device and location with internet access. A week will consist of 1-2 days of didactic material and 5-6 days of real-life skills practice and reporting. Participants cannot skip ahead and can only progress to the next lesson if they have completed the current one, but they can return to old lessons or exercises if they wish to.
Treatment groups
80 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groupsGroup A: Positive Emotion Skills InterventionExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group B: Waitlist ControlNo intervention 0 interventions
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
1
Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Positive Affect (v1.0) and PROMIS Meaning and Purpose (v1.0)
Computer Adaptive Testing measure of positive emotion and purpose. Higher scores mean a better outcome (i.e., more positive emotion). Scores can range from 9-85, and a t-score of 50 represents the mean score for the United States general population with a standard deviation of 10.
Time frame
Baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months2
PROMIS Depression (v1.0), Anxiety (v1.0), Social Isolation (v2.0)
Computer Adaptive Testing measures of psychosocial well-being. Higher scores mean a worse outcome (i.e., more anxiety or depression). Scores can range from 9-85, and a t-score of 50 represents the mean score for the United States general population with a standard deviation of 10.
Time frame
baseline and 3, 6, 12 months post-baselineSecondary outcomes
1
Biological Age: DNA methylation GrimAge
Biological age as defined by DNA methylation GrimAge, an estimation of biological age in units of years.
Time frame
Baseline, 3 months, 12 months2
ECG-age (electrocardiogram-age)
Artificial intelligence algorithm using electrocardiogram data to estimate participant's age in unit of years. Higher ECG-age equates to greater cardiovascular aging.
Time frame
Baseline, 3 months, 12 months3
Telomere Length
Telomere length measures cellular aging, measured in kilobases (kb). Longer telomere length indicates less cellular aging (a better outcome).
Time frame
Baseline, 3 months, 12 monthsSponsors and contacts
Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.
Northwestern University
Lead sponsor
Potocsnak Human Longevity Lab
Collaborator
Source ClinicalTrials.gov