Loneliness Group Intervention

Not Applicable

Recruiting

• Conditions: Loneliness
• Interventions: Other: Mutual Help Meetings; Behavioral: Awareness, Courage, and Love Groups

• Registration Number: NCT05619718
• Lead Sponsor: London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute OR Lawson Research Institute of St. Joseph's

Brief Summary

The goal of this pilot study is to determine the feasibility and acceptability of a group loneliness intervention in geriatric psychiatry inpatients. This type of group loneliness intervention is based on functional analytic psychotherapy and is called Awareness, Courage, and Love Groups.

Detailed Description

The objective of our clinical trial is to adapt, implement, and evaluate a type of loneliness group intervention called Awareness, Courage, and Love Groups for older adults in a psychiatric unit. The following research questions will be answered: (a) Are ACL groups with geriatric psychiatry inpatients feasible and acceptable? (b) Do such ACL groups demonstrate preliminary efficacy?

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2022-11-09
• Study First Submitted QC: 2022-11-09
• Study First Posted: 2022-11-17
• Study Start: 2024-02-23
• Status Verified: 2024-03
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-03-31
• Last Update Posted: 2025-04-01
• Primary Completion: 2025-08-25
• Study Completion: 2025-09-30

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 50

Inclusion Criteria

• Admission to geriatric psychiatry inpatient unit

Exclusion Criteria

• Individuals who are disoriented to person, delirious, unable to tolerate or participate meaningfully in the group, or otherwise unable to provide consent to research and psychotherapy

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Control	Mutual Help Meetings	Control group will receive treatment as usual in the form of Mutual Help Meetings.
Treatment	Awareness, Courage, and Love Groups	Treatment group will receive Awareness, Courage, and Love Groups for loneliness.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Quantitative Program Satisfaction	Up to 2 months	Brief measure of program satisfaction. The minimum value is 0, the maximum value is 16, and higher scores indicate a better outcome.
UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS-6)	Up to 2 months	Brief measure of loneliness. The minimum value is 6, the maximum value is 24, and higher scores indicate a worse outcome.
Inclusion of Other in the Self Scale (IOS)	Up to 2 months	Brief single-item pictorial measure of social closeness. The minimum value is 1, the maximum value is 7, and higher scores indicate a better outcome.
Relational Health Indices (RHI)	Up to 2 months	Brief measure of group relational health. The minimum value is 8, the maximum value is 40, and higher scores indicate a better outcome.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Cantril Self-Anchoring Striving Scale	Up to 2 months	1 item pictorial scale of subjective wellbeing from 0 (minimum) to 10 (maximum). A higher score indicates a better outcome.
Sacred Moment Qualities (SMQ)	Up to 2 months	Brief measure of perceived sacred qualities, adapted from Pargament et al. (2014). The minimum value is 11, the maximum value is 55, and higher scores indicate a better outcome.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Parkwood Institute Mental Health; 🇨🇦 London, Ontario, Canada