A Smartphone Intervention for Relational and Mental Well Being

NCT04629755 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: STUDY00009897
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 1,765
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The primary aim of this study is to provide and evaluate a phone-based intervention to improve relational and mental well-being during the COVID-19 crisis. This information also will help us understand how individuals are responding to COVID-19 and have the potential to inform psychological and policy level interventions.

Conditions

Depression; Loneliness; Relation, Interpersonal; Covid19

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Change in depressed mood

  Depressed mood was measured using the first two symptom items of the Patient Health Questionnaire-2, "I felt down, depressed, or hopeless today" and "I had little interest or pleasure in doing things today"; both were rated with a slider from 0 (None of the time) to 10 (All of the time) with anchors "Some of the time" and "Most of the time" spaced evenly between.

  Measured every evening for 28 days; the first 6 days constituted baseline measurement; change was assessed over Days 7 - 28 with baseline as a covariate

• Change in loneliness

  Loneliness was measured using two items adapted from the UCLA Loneliness Scale, "I felt lonely today" and "I felt left out today" using a slider from 0 (Not at all) to 10 (Extremely).

  Measured every evening for 28 days; the first 6 days constituted baseline measurement; change was assessed over Days 7 - 28 with baseline as a covariate

• Change in relationship quality

  Relationship quality was measured using two items, "I felt closer and more connected to important people in my life today" with a slider including 0 (Not at all), 5 (A moderate amount) and 10 (Very much so) and "I felt satisfied with my relationships today" with a slider from 0 (Not at all) to 10 (Extremely).

  Measured every evening for 28 days; the first 6 days constituted baseline measurement; change was assessed over Days 7 - 28 with baseline as a covariate

Study Arms (2)

Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

The intervention was delivered via a series of daily text messages to mobile phones. Participants first were delivered an introductory text message at 6:00 pm on Day 7 of the study. This message alerted the participants to expect their first suggestion via text message at 8:00 am the following morning. For the next 14 days (Days 8 - 22), participants received one of 14 suggestions in random order. The specific daily suggestions varied in length and complexity: The simplest ones included text messages and a brief audiofile delivered via text; the more complex suggestions included text messages and a link to a web-page, which included text or embedded audiofiles describing why a suggestion was being made, how to engage in the suggested practice, and audiotaped exchanges between members of the production team describing what it was like to try the practices themselves. Some suggestions were supplemented with additional reminder and check-in text messages at noon and 4:00 pm.

Behavioral: Intervention

Control

NO INTERVENTION

Assessment only.

Interventions

Intervention BEHAVIORAL

The intervention was delivered via daily text messages to mobile phones during two weeks in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Each message provided a link to a brief suggestion for an action or actions to take each day to improve relational closeness and well-being. Critical to the rationale for this intervention was the position that relationship science has developed key insights into what works and does not work to build and maintain closeness. These insights could be translated into brief and effective suggestions that individuals could implement daily, thereby quickly improving relational well-being and decreasing depression and loneliness at a critical time.

Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Age 18+
• Resides in United States
• Possesses smartphone
• Willing to share phone number and email to researchers

You may not qualify if:

• None

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Washington: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of Washington

Seattle, Washington, 98195, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Depression; COVID-19

Interventions

Methods

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Pneumonia, Viral; Pneumonia; Respiratory Tract Infections; Infections; Virus Diseases; Coronavirus Infections; Coronaviridae Infections; Nidovirales Infections; RNA Virus Infections; Lung Diseases; Respiratory Tract Diseases

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Investigative Techniques

Study Officials

• Jonathan W Kanter, PhD

  University of Washington

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Research Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 9, 2020
• First Posted: November 16, 2020
• Study Start: April 4, 2020
• Primary Completion: August 3, 2020
• Study Completion: August 3, 2020
• Last Updated: November 19, 2020

Record last verified: 2020-11

Locations

US (1)