Investigating the Effectiveness of Online Interactive Courses on Loneliness and Quality of Life of Older Adults in the Community During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Pilot Study and a Randomized Controlled Trial
试验速览
- 阶段
- 不适用
- 状态
- 已完成
- 发起方
- 入组人数
- 89
- 试验地点
- 2
- 主要终点
- UCLA Loneliness Scale (UCLA)
研究概览
简要总结
Background:
The early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic can be marked as a critical period in human history as it increased loneliness in people's lives. This is particularly true for the older adults who are single, living alone, and suffering from chronic diseases. However, there is insufficient existing research on associated interventions and their effectiveness.
Objectives:
To investigate the effectiveness of an 8-week online interactive course on the loneliness, depression, social support, and quality of life (QOL) of older adults in the community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods:
This pilot study, also a single-blind randomized controlled trial, collected data from a community in central Taiwan. Participants were randomly divided into an experimental group and a control group. Subsequently, participants in the experimental group received an 8-week intensive (Monday to Friday) online interactive course, whereas those in the control group consumed 8 weeks of unidirectional online video and audio programs (such as from YouTube). Assessments were conducted both before and after the intervention, with the primary outcome being the UCLA Loneliness Scale (UCLA), and secondary outcomes being the Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form, the Inventory of Socially Supportive Behavior (ISSB) Scale, and the WHO Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) Scale.
研究设计
- 研究类型
- Interventional
- 分配方式
- Randomized
- 干预模型
- Parallel
- 主要目的
- Health Services Research
- 盲法
- Single (Participant)
入排标准
- 年龄范围
- 65 Years 至 88 Years（Older Adult）
- 性别
- All
- 接受健康志愿者
- 是
入选标准
- •(1) senior residents aged over 60 years, those who were not diagnosed with any cognitive impairment;
- •(2) capable of communicating in Mandarin or Taiwanese; and
- •(3) capable of using smartphones.
排除标准
- •(1) participants who could not fully complete the 8-week intervention (or participate in the course for at least three days per week); and
- •(2) those who were incapable of understanding the content of the questionnaire.
结局指标
主要结局
UCLA Loneliness Scale (UCLA)
时间窗: 10-20 minutes
The third version of UCLA compiled by Russel (1996) was used to measure "loneliness." It was translated into Chinese by Chang and Yang (1999) and included 20 questions. Each question was scored on the 4-point Likert Scale, with 1: "I never feel this way," 2: "I rarely feel this way," 3: "I sometimes feel this way," and 4: "I often feel this way." The total score ranged between 20 and 80, and the higher the score, the higher the participant's degree of loneliness. In this study, the Cronbach's alpha of the pre- and post-intervention UCLA was 0.76 and 0.78, respectively.
次要结局
- Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form (GDS-SF)(10-20 minutes)
- Inventory of Socially Supportive Behavior (ISSB) Scale(10-20 minutes)
- WHO Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) Scale(10-20 minutes)
研究者
Yang Shang-Yu
Assistant professor
National Cheng Kung University