Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-based Intervention for Loneliness Among Older Adults Living Alone

NCT ID: NCT06719843

Last Updated: 2024-12-06

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

234 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2025-01-01

Study Completion Date

2027-12-31

Brief Summary

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The proposed cluster-randomised wait-list-controlled trial will (1) examine the effects of the acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)-based intervention on loneliness, psychological flexibility, psychological distress, health-related quality of life, and healthcare utilisation among older adults living alone in Hong Kong; (2) investigate whether the effect of the ACT-based intervention on loneliness is mediated through psychological flexibility; and (3) explore the experiences and perceptions of older adults living alone who participate in ACT-based interventions, including their perceptions of the intervention's impact on their loneliness.

Detailed Description

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A convenience sample of 234 older adults living alone will be recruited from six participating community centres (39 participants from each centre). Eligible older adults will be randomly assigned to a waitlist control group (n = 117) or an intervention group (n = 117). Both groups will receive usual community support services. The intervention group will additionally receive four weekly face-to-face ACT-based intervention sessions (approximately 90 minutes each) in group format (each group consisting of six to eight older adults).

The primary outcome (loneliness) and secondary outcomes (psychological flexibility, psychological distress, health-related quality of life, and healthcare utilisation) will be assessed at baseline (T0), immediately post-intervention (T1), 3 months post-intervention (T2) and 6 months post-intervention (T3), using validated questionnaires. A purposive subsample of 36 intervention group participants will be invited for focus group interviews. A generalised estimating equation model with intention-to-treat and path analyses will be used to analyse the quantitative data, whereas thematic analysis will be used for the qualitative data.

Conditions

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Loneliness

Keywords

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Loneliness Older adults Acceptance and committment therapy-based intervention

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Wait-list trial
Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

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ACT-based intervention

In addition to usual community support services, participants in the intervention group will receive the face-to-face ACT-based intervention weekly for 4 weeks (each session lasting approximately 90 minutes), with each group consisting of 6-8 older adults.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

ACT-based intervention

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Participants in the intervention group will receive the face-to-face ACT-based intervention weekly for 4 weeks (each session lasting approximately 90 minutes), with each group consisting of 6-8 older adults. The intervention consists of 4 sessions:

Session 1 (acceptance and cognitive fusion) Session 2 (contact with the present moment and self-as-context) Session 3 (values) Session 3 (committed action)

Wait-list control

Participants in the wait-list control group will receive usual community support services (e.g. meal delivery) provided by the community centres they belong to.

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

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ACT-based intervention

Participants in the intervention group will receive the face-to-face ACT-based intervention weekly for 4 weeks (each session lasting approximately 90 minutes), with each group consisting of 6-8 older adults. The intervention consists of 4 sessions:

Session 1 (acceptance and cognitive fusion) Session 2 (contact with the present moment and self-as-context) Session 3 (values) Session 3 (committed action)

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* older adults aged 60 years or above
* residing in the community (living at home without being institutionalised in the past 6 months)
* capable of speaking and understanding Chinese
* experiencing loneliness (scoring ≥3 on a three-item loneliness screening scale)
* living alone for more than 1 year

Exclusion Criteria

* currently undergoing psychological intervention
* having a clinical diagnosis of mental illness
* being cognitively impaired (Abbreviated Mental Test score \<6)
* having visual/language/communication difficulties
Minimum Eligible Age

60 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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The Salvation Army, Hong Kong and Macau Command

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Chinese University of Hong Kong

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Cho Lee Wong

Associate Professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Central Contacts

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Cho Lee Wong, PhD

Role: CONTACT

Phone: 852-39438166

Email: [email protected]

Other Identifiers

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2024.026-T

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id