Chinese Poem Writing for Improving Mental Wellbeing

NCT06581952 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: HE-SF2024/19
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 30
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This research proposal aims to explore the impact of poem writing on the well-being of adult volunteers serving patients recovering from mental illness in Hong Kong. The research design was a single-arm intervention study with 30 participants. The intervention consists of two sessions of poem writing, each lasting for 3 hours, led by experienced Chinese teachers or drama directors. The themes of the poems will focus on accomplishment, joy, and gratitude. The primary outcomes are mental well-being and happiness, measured using the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale and a single-item happiness scale. Feasibility outcomes include recruitment rate, retention rate, and acceptability of the interventions. Secondary outcomes include depressive symptoms, anxiety, interest in poem writing, perceived benefits after the activity, and the number of successfully written poems. The proposal also includes plans for in-depth interviews with participants to gather qualitative data. The results will be analyzed descriptively and narratively, with no efficacy statistical tests due to the nature of this feasibility study. The proposal highlights the potential of poem writing as a therapeutic tool for volunteers serving patients recovering from mental illness, enhancing their overall well-being.

Conditions

Well-Being, Psychological; Happiness

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Changes in well-being

  The 7-item Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale with the 5-point Likert scale ("1" means "None of the time", while "5" means "All the time") will be used to measure participants' well-being. The score is calculated by summing up all seven items and with a range of 7 to 35. A higher score indicates a higher positive mental well-being.

  Baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 12 weeks

• Changes in happiness

  Happiness of participants across four timeslots were measured by a single item question, which was "How happy do you think you are" (from "0" = "Not at all" to "10" = "very happy").

  Baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 12 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (6)

• Changes in depressive symptoms

  Baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 12 weeks

• Changes in perceived knowledge about limericks (Chinese poem)

  Baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 12 weeks

• Changes in perceived interest in limericks writing

  Baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 12 weeks

• Changes in perceived confidence in limericks writing

  Baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 12 weeks

• Changes in perceived usefulness of limericks writing

  Baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 12 weeks

Other Outcomes (3)

• Recruitment rate

  12 weeks

• Retention rate

  2 weeks, 4 weeks

• Acceptability of the intervention

  2 weeks, 4 weeks

Study Arms (1)

Two poem writing sessions

EXPERIMENTAL

The intervention consists of two sessions of poem writing. Each session lasts for 3 hours. The instructors for each session will include two experienced Chinese teachers or drama directors from Bestreben Drama Association Limited. Adherence to the protocol will be evaluated by two independent reviewers.

Behavioral: Poem writing

Interventions

Poem writing BEHAVIORAL

The poem themes will focus on accomplishment moments, joyful moments, and gratitude. Participants will be motivated to write at least one poem in each session. The instructor will lead the participants to improve the poem after the participants complete the first draft. The participants will be encouraged to perform in reading their completed poem, sharing their feelings and expressing the meaning of the poems during the session. In the second session, participants will be invited to do a poem reading performance using one of their newly written poems.

Two poem writing sessions

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Volunteers serving for people recovering from mental illness or other community residents
• Aged 18 years old and above
• Able to understand Cantonese and read Chinese

You may not qualify if:

• Physically or mentally unable to communicate
• Unwilling to participate or give consent
• Being involved in other similar activities or research

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Hong Kong Metropolitan University: lead
• Bestreben Drama Association Limited: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Jockey Club Institute of Healthcare, Hong Kong Metropolitan University

Hong Kong, Hong Kong

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Psychological Well-Being

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Personal Satisfaction; Behavior

Study Officials

• Agnes YK Lai

  Hong Kong Metropolitan University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Agnes Lai, PhD

CONTACT

(852) 39702917; ayklai@hkmu.edu.hk

Grace Sun, PhD

CONTACT

(852) 39702917; gsun@hkmu.edu.hk

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 13, 2024
• First Posted: September 3, 2024
• Study Start: June 13, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 31, 2027
• Last Updated: March 13, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Locations

HK (1)