Emotional Well-being and Measures of Healthy Aging

NCT07334106 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: STU00221612
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 80
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

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.).

Conditions

Aging; Aging, Healthy; Aging Well; Aging, Biological

Keywords

Aging; Resilience, Psychological; Psychological Well-Being; Aging Well; Internet-Based Intervention

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• 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.

  Baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months

• 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.

  baseline and 3, 6, 12 months post-baseline

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Biological Age: DNA methylation GrimAge

  Baseline, 3 months, 12 months

• ECG-age (electrocardiogram-age)

  Baseline, 3 months, 12 months

• Telomere Length

  Baseline, 3 months, 12 months

Study Arms (2)

Positive Emotion Skills Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will receive the 6-week online intervention, PARK (Positive Affect Regulation sKills Course).

Behavioral: Positive Emotion Skills Intervention

Waitlist Control

NO INTERVENTION

The waitlist control condition will receive usual care in the Human Longevity Lab, which consists of a feedback report on biological age and lifestyle counseling from a clinical provider at the end of the study period. Control condition participants will have the option to gain access to the PARK platform and learn positive emotion skills after their study participation is completed at the end of 12 months.

Interventions

Positive Emotion Skills Intervention BEHAVIORAL

Skills 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.

Positive Emotion Skills Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 40 Years - 70 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• 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
• Willing/able to travel to the Human Longevity Lab for in-person visits

You may not qualify if:

• Adults unable to consent
• Individuals who are not yet adults (infants, children, teenagers)
• Pregnant women
• Prisoners
• Vulnerable Populations
• Pre-existing heart disease (prevalent coronary heart and cerebrovascular disease or heart failure)
• Type 2 diabetes
• Severe psychiatric illness

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Northwestern University: lead
• Potocsnak Human Longevity Lab: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Potocsnak Human Longevity Lab

Chicago, Illinois, 60611, United States

RECRUITING

Related Publications (7)

• Pressman SD, Cohen S. Does positive affect influence health? Psychol Bull. 2005 Nov;131(6):925-971. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.131.6.925.

  PMID: 16351329 BACKGROUND

• Moskowitz JT, Carrico AW, Duncan LG, Cohn MA, Cheung EO, Batchelder A, Martinez L, Segawa E, Acree M, Folkman S. Randomized controlled trial of a positive affect intervention for people newly diagnosed with HIV. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2017 May;85(5):409-423. doi: 10.1037/ccp0000188. Epub 2017 Mar 23.

  PMID: 28333512 BACKGROUND

• Pressman SD, Jenkins BN, Moskowitz JT. Positive Affect and Health: What Do We Know and Where Next Should We Go? Annu Rev Psychol. 2019 Jan 4;70:627-650. doi: 10.1146/annurev-psych-010418-102955. Epub 2018 Sep 27.

  PMID: 30260746 BACKGROUND

• Steptoe A, Wardle J. Positive affect measured using ecological momentary assessment and survival in older men and women. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Nov 8;108(45):18244-8. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1110892108. Epub 2011 Oct 31.

  PMID: 22042845 BACKGROUND

• Behr LC, Simm A, Kluttig A, Grosskopf Grosskopf A. 60 years of healthy aging: On definitions, biomarkers, scores and challenges. Ageing Res Rev. 2023 Jul;88:101934. doi: 10.1016/j.arr.2023.101934. Epub 2023 Apr 13.

  PMID: 37059401 BACKGROUND

• Prior A, Fenger-Gron M, Larsen KK, Larsen FB, Robinson KM, Nielsen MG, Christensen KS, Mercer SW, Vestergaard M. The Association Between Perceived Stress and Mortality Among People With Multimorbidity: A Prospective Population-Based Cohort Study. Am J Epidemiol. 2016 Aug 1;184(3):199-210. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwv324. Epub 2016 Jul 11.

  PMID: 27407085 BACKGROUND

• Yegorov YE, Poznyak AV, Nikiforov NG, Sobenin IA, Orekhov AN. The Link between Chronic Stress and Accelerated Aging. Biomedicines. 2020 Jul 7;8(7):198. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines8070198.

  PMID: 32645916 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Psychological Well-Being

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Personal Satisfaction; Behavior

Central Study Contacts

Chelsea S Brown

CONTACT

312-503-3712; chelsea.brown@northwestern.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: CARE PROVIDER, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Model Details: This study is a waitlist-control design. Participants in the control participant will receive the positive psychology intervention at the conclusion of the study.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 8, 2025
• First Posted: January 12, 2026
• Study Start: September 1, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2028
• Last Updated: January 12, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Locations

US (1)