Nonviolent Communication Plus Personalised E-message for Parents

NCT07826702 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: RD/2026/1.24
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 60
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT) aims to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of combining a brief Nonviolent Communication (NVC) intervention with follow-up personalised AI-generated messages delivered daily via WhatsApp to improve child-parent relationships, parenting competence and family communication. A total of 60 parents of middle school students experiencing difficulties in family communication or recurrent conflict with their children will be recruited in Hong Kong and randomly assigned (in a 1:1 allocation ratio) to an intervention group or an attention control group. The intervention group will participate in two 2-hour NVC workshops, scheduled two weeks apart and delivered by the principal investigator, plus four weeks of personalised AI-generated NVC e-messages daily. The attention control group will receive weekly e-messages with healthy lifestyle tips for 6 weeks. Assessments for participants will be conducted at baseline (T0), post-workshop (T1, after the second session/two weeks after T0), and 12 weeks after baseline (T2). A process evaluation featuring quantitative ratings and open-ended questions will be conducted to explore participants' perceived benefits and subjective experiences.

Conditions

Family Conflict; Relationship, Parent Child

Keywords

Nonviolent Communication; Text Messaging; Randomized Controlled Trial; Relationship, Parent Child

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Recruitment rate

  Recruitment rate is defined as the proportion of eligible or contacted candidates who actually agree to join the study (Number Enrolled / Number Eligible or Approached).

  Baseline (T0)

• Retention rate

  Retention rate is defined as the percentage of randomised participants retained and assessed with valid primary outcome data.

  12-week assessment (T2, around 3 months after baseline)

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Child-Parent Relationship

  Baseline (T0), Post-workshop assessment (T1, 2 weeks after T0), and 12-week assessment (T2, around 3 months after T0).

• Parenting Competence

  Baseline (T0), Post-workshop assessment (T1, 2 weeks after T0), and 12-week assessment (T2, around 3 months after T0).

• Family function

  Baseline (T0), Post-workshop assessment (T1, 2 weeks after T0), and 12-week assessment (T2, around 3 months after T0).

• Anxiety

  Baseline (T0), Post-workshop assessment (T1, 2 weeks after T0), and 12-week assessment (T2, around 3 months after T0).

Other Outcomes (1)

• Perceived Benefits

  Post-workshop assessment (T1) and 12-week assessment (T2, around 3 months after T0)

Study Arms (2)

NVC Intervention Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in the intervention group will receive two 2-hour NVC intervention workshops, scheduled two weeks apart and delivered in small groups (either online or face-to-face) by the PI, plus four weeks of daily personalised AI-generated NVC messages via WhatsApp.

Behavioral: Nonviolent Communication Intervention & Personalised E-messages

Attention Control Group

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants in the attention control group will not receive any NVC intervention workshops during the study. They will receive regular healthy lifestyle information messages via WhatsApp for 6 weeks.

Behavioral: Healthy Lifestyle Tips

Interventions

Healthy Lifestyle Tips BEHAVIORAL

The attention control group will receive an information pamphlet that encourages them to maintain a healthy diet, engage in regular physical activity, and practice weight control. Participants will receive weekly WhatsApp messages about healthy lifestyle tips for 6 weeks.

Attention Control Group

Nonviolent Communication Intervention & Personalised E-messages BEHAVIORAL

The intervention includes an introduction to NVC's four principles, the difference between observations and judgments, identifying and expressing feelings, taking responsibility for feelings and needs, and using positive action language when making requests. The intervention workshops will be offered in rolling monthly cycles for approximately three rounds over three months (two rounds will be online, and one will be face-to-face). Participants who miss the second session may attend an equivalent session in the second or third cycle. Between and following the sessions, participants will receive AI-generated, tailored messages via WhatsApp daily for four weeks that provide concise NVC tips and guide parents through NVC-style conversations with their adolescents.

NVC Intervention Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 32 Years - 59 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• \) parents aged 32-59 years with children attending middle school (approximately 12-17 years old) in Hong Kong;
• \) scoring 3 or above in any item of the 3-item conflict subscale of the Network of Relationship Inventory (Furman \& Buhrmester, 2009);
• \) able to read Chinese and use a smartphone to receive WhatsApp messages;
• \) willingness to attend a two-session NVC intervention in group format.

You may not qualify if:

• \) severe mental health problems requiring immediate specialist care or inability to provide informed consent.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Hong Kong Metropolitan University: lead

Study Sites (1)

The Jockey Club Institute of Healthcare, Hong Kong Metropolitan University

Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Location

Study Officials

• Yuying Sun, PhD

  Hong Kong Metropolitan University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Yuying Sun, PhD

CONTACT

852 39702916; gsun@hkmu.edu.hk

Study Design

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

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 14, 2026
• First Posted: September 17, 2026
• Study Start: October 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 30, 2027
• Last Updated: September 23, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

HK (1)