Effectiveness of a Psychological Intervention to Reduce Social Isolation and Promote Social Connectedness in Young Adults

NCT07820020 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: KUIRB-2026-0388
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 80
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

The purpose of this randomized controlled trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of a psychological intervention aimed at reducing social isolation and promoting social connectedness among young adults. Specifically, the study investigates the impact of an 8-week, digitally assisted face-to-face group social skills training program on individuals aged 19 to 34 who experience difficulties in interpersonal relationships and social isolation. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the active intervention group or a waitlist control group. The study aims to determine whether this structured psychosocial intervention improves interpersonal competence and social performance, reduces social isolation, and improves other psychosocial variables. Outcomes will be evaluated at three time points-pre-intervention, post-intervention, and a 1-month follow-up-utilizing a combination of self-report questionnaires and performance-based role-play assessments.

Conditions

Social Isolation; Loneliness; Social Skills

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Korean Version of the Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire (K-ICQ)

  The Korean Version of the Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire (K-ICQ) is a 31-item self-report measure of interpersonal competence. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 (poor) to 5 (extremely good). The total score sums all items and ranges from 31 to 155. Higher scores indicate greater interpersonal competence, which is a better outcome.

  Baseline, immediately post-intervention (at 8 weeks), and 1-month follow-up (at 12 weeks)

• Social Skills Knowledge Test

  The Social Skills Knowledge Test is an investigator-developed knowledge test created to objectively measure acquisition of the social skills content taught in the intervention. It consists of 21 items (multiple-choice and true/false) covering seven domains that correspond to the session curriculum: relationship formation skills, conversation skills I, conversation skills II, assertion skills, conflict management skills, dating skills, and workplace skills, with 3 items per domain. Each item has an unambiguously correct answer and is scored 1 (correct) or 0 (incorrect). The total score is the sum of correct responses and ranges from 0 to 21. Higher scores indicate greater knowledge of social skills, which is a better outcome.

  Baseline, immediately post-intervention (at 8 weeks), and 1-month follow-up (at 12 weeks)

• Korea University Social Isolation Scale (KUSIS)

  The Korea University Social Isolation Scale (KUSIS) is a 9-item self-report measure of social isolation risk. Respondents rate their state over the past month, excluding people they currently live with. Each item is rated on a 4-point scale from 0 (never) to 3 (very much). The total score sums all items and ranges from 0 to 27, with a cut-off of 9 or higher indicating risk of social isolation. Higher scores indicate greater social isolation, which is a worse outcome.

  Baseline, immediately post-intervention (at 8 weeks), and 1-month follow-up (at 12 weeks)

Secondary Outcomes (8)

• Lubben Social Network Scale-6 (LSNS-6)

  Baseline, immediately post-intervention (at 8 weeks), and 1-month follow-up (at 12 weeks)

• Short-form UCLA Loneliness Scale-8

  Baseline, immediately post-intervention (at 8 weeks), and 1-month follow-up (at 12 weeks)

• Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)

  Baseline, immediately post-intervention (at 8 weeks), and 1-month follow-up (at 12 weeks)

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7)

  Baseline, immediately post-intervention (at 8 weeks), and 1-month follow-up (at 12 weeks)

• Korean version of the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale-Social Phobia Scale Short Form (K-SIAS-SPS-SF)

  Baseline, immediately post-intervention (at 8 weeks), and 1-month follow-up (at 12 weeks)

Study Arms (2)

Waitlist Control

NO INTERVENTION

Digital-Assisted Group Social Skills Training

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: Digital-Assisted Group Social Skills Training

Interventions

Digital-Assisted Group Social Skills Training BEHAVIORAL

Participants assigned to the active intervention arm receive an 8-week, face-to-face group social skills training program, which involves weekly 120-minute sessions supplemented by a web-based digital platform designed to promote between-session practice and skill generalization.

Digital-Assisted Group Social Skills Training

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 19 Years - 34 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Adults aged 19 to 34 years
• South Korean nationality
• Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire, 15-item short form (ICQ-15): mean score of 2.87 or lower
• Meets either (a) or (b) below:
• (a) Lubben Social Network Scale-6 (LSNS-6) total score of less than 12, AND short-form UCLA Loneliness Scale-8 total score of 17 or higher
• (b) Korea University Social Isolation Scale (KUSIS) total score of 9 or higher
• Confirmation on a non-face-to-face screening interview that the participant's primary difficulty involves interpersonal problems stemming from a lack of social knowledge and skills

You may not qualify if:

• Psychiatric or neurological hospitalization within the past 6 months
• Current or past diagnosis of a severe neurological disorder
• Cognitive impairment severe enough to hinder the basic communication required for program participation
• Suicide attempt within the past 6 months
• Severe suicide risk identified during the assessment
• History of psychotic symptoms or manic episodes
• Severe psychiatric condition or major medical abnormality that would complicate participation
• Unable or unwilling to follow the research team's instructions during the application process
• Currently participating in individual or group psychotherapy that provides training in other social skills
• Participation within the past 5 years in a study on social isolation conducted by an investigator of the present research team, which raises concern for a confounding effect on the study results

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Korea University: lead

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Social Isolation; Social Skills

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Social Behavior; Behavior

Central Study Contacts

Jaehee Jung

CONTACT

821073177521; emqhfkwogml13@gmail.com

Study Design

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

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 7, 2026
• First Posted: September 15, 2026
• Study Start: September 30, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): October 30, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2027
• Last Updated: September 24, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share