Study protocol of the ‘HEAL-HOA’ dual randomized controlled trial: Testing the effects of volunteering on loneliness, social, and mental health in older adults
Background: Interventions to reduce loneliness in older adults usually do not show sustained effects. One potential way to combat loneliness is to offer meaningful social activities. Volunteering has been suggested as one such activity – however, its effects on loneliness remain to be tested in rand...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2024-04-01
|
| Series: | Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S245186542400022X |
| _version_ | 1797256367060287488 |
|---|---|
| author | Lisa M. Warner Da Jiang Dannii Yuen-lan Yeung Namkee G. Choi Rainbow Tin Hung Ho Jojo Yan Yan Kwok Youqiang Song Kee-Lee Chou |
| author_facet | Lisa M. Warner Da Jiang Dannii Yuen-lan Yeung Namkee G. Choi Rainbow Tin Hung Ho Jojo Yan Yan Kwok Youqiang Song Kee-Lee Chou |
| author_sort | Lisa M. Warner |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Interventions to reduce loneliness in older adults usually do not show sustained effects. One potential way to combat loneliness is to offer meaningful social activities. Volunteering has been suggested as one such activity – however, its effects on loneliness remain to be tested in randomized controlled trials (RCT). Methods: This planned Dual-RCT aims to recruit older adults experiencing loneliness, with subsequent randomization to either a volunteering condition (6 weeks of training before delivering one of three tele-based loneliness interventions to older intervention recipients twice a week for 6 months) or to an active control condition (psycho-education with social gatherings for six months). Power analyses require the recruitment of N = 256 older adults to detect differences between the volunteering and the active control condition (128 in each) on the primary outcome of loneliness (UCLA Loneliness Scale). Secondary outcomes comprise social network engagement, perceived social support, anxiety and depressive symptoms, self-rated health, cognitive health, perceived stress, sleep quality, and diurnal cortisol (1/3 of the sample). The main analyses will comprise condition (volunteering vs. no-volunteering) × time (baseline, 6-, 12-, 18-, 24-months follow-ups) interactions to test the effects of volunteering on loneliness and secondary outcomes. Effects are expected to be mediated via frequency, time and involvement in volunteering. Discussion: If our trial can show that volunteers delivering one of the three telephone-based interventions to lonely intervention recipients benefit from volunteer work themselves, this might encourage more older adults to volunteer, helping to solve some of the societal issues involved with rapid demographic changes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T21:53:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b9244d05f0e34686a6c356a4b7432cca |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2451-8654 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T22:20:37Z |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications |
| spelling | doaj.art-b9244d05f0e34686a6c356a4b7432cca2024-03-20T06:10:52ZengElsevierContemporary Clinical Trials Communications2451-86542024-04-0138101275Study protocol of the ‘HEAL-HOA’ dual randomized controlled trial: Testing the effects of volunteering on loneliness, social, and mental health in older adultsLisa M. Warner0Da Jiang1Dannii Yuen-lan Yeung2Namkee G. Choi3Rainbow Tin Hung Ho4Jojo Yan Yan Kwok5Youqiang Song6Kee-Lee Chou7Department of Psychology, MSB Medical School Berlin, Rüdesheimer Straße 50, 14197, Berlin, GermanyThe Education University of Hong Kong, 10 Lo Ping Rd, Tai Po, Hong KongDepartment of Social and Behavioural Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Ave, Kowloon Tong, Hong KongSteve Hicks School of Social Work, University of Texas at Austin, 1925 San Jacinto Blvd, Austin, TX, USADepartment of Social Work & Social Administration, Centre on Behavioral Health, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong KongSchool of Nursing, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong KongDepartment of Biochemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong KongThe Education University of Hong Kong, 10 Lo Ping Rd, Tai Po, Hong Kong; Corresponding author. Department of Asian and Policy Studies, The Education University of Hong Kong, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong, China.Background: Interventions to reduce loneliness in older adults usually do not show sustained effects. One potential way to combat loneliness is to offer meaningful social activities. Volunteering has been suggested as one such activity – however, its effects on loneliness remain to be tested in randomized controlled trials (RCT). Methods: This planned Dual-RCT aims to recruit older adults experiencing loneliness, with subsequent randomization to either a volunteering condition (6 weeks of training before delivering one of three tele-based loneliness interventions to older intervention recipients twice a week for 6 months) or to an active control condition (psycho-education with social gatherings for six months). Power analyses require the recruitment of N = 256 older adults to detect differences between the volunteering and the active control condition (128 in each) on the primary outcome of loneliness (UCLA Loneliness Scale). Secondary outcomes comprise social network engagement, perceived social support, anxiety and depressive symptoms, self-rated health, cognitive health, perceived stress, sleep quality, and diurnal cortisol (1/3 of the sample). The main analyses will comprise condition (volunteering vs. no-volunteering) × time (baseline, 6-, 12-, 18-, 24-months follow-ups) interactions to test the effects of volunteering on loneliness and secondary outcomes. Effects are expected to be mediated via frequency, time and involvement in volunteering. Discussion: If our trial can show that volunteers delivering one of the three telephone-based interventions to lonely intervention recipients benefit from volunteer work themselves, this might encourage more older adults to volunteer, helping to solve some of the societal issues involved with rapid demographic changes.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S245186542400022XLonelinessOlder adultsVolunteeringPerceived social supportRCTCivic engagement |
| spellingShingle | Lisa M. Warner Da Jiang Dannii Yuen-lan Yeung Namkee G. Choi Rainbow Tin Hung Ho Jojo Yan Yan Kwok Youqiang Song Kee-Lee Chou Study protocol of the ‘HEAL-HOA’ dual randomized controlled trial: Testing the effects of volunteering on loneliness, social, and mental health in older adults Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications Loneliness Older adults Volunteering Perceived social support RCT Civic engagement |
| title | Study protocol of the ‘HEAL-HOA’ dual randomized controlled trial: Testing the effects of volunteering on loneliness, social, and mental health in older adults |
| title_full | Study protocol of the ‘HEAL-HOA’ dual randomized controlled trial: Testing the effects of volunteering on loneliness, social, and mental health in older adults |
| title_fullStr | Study protocol of the ‘HEAL-HOA’ dual randomized controlled trial: Testing the effects of volunteering on loneliness, social, and mental health in older adults |
| title_full_unstemmed | Study protocol of the ‘HEAL-HOA’ dual randomized controlled trial: Testing the effects of volunteering on loneliness, social, and mental health in older adults |
| title_short | Study protocol of the ‘HEAL-HOA’ dual randomized controlled trial: Testing the effects of volunteering on loneliness, social, and mental health in older adults |
| title_sort | study protocol of the heal hoa dual randomized controlled trial testing the effects of volunteering on loneliness social and mental health in older adults |
| topic | Loneliness Older adults Volunteering Perceived social support RCT Civic engagement |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S245186542400022X |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lisamwarner studyprotocolofthehealhoadualrandomizedcontrolledtrialtestingtheeffectsofvolunteeringonlonelinesssocialandmentalhealthinolderadults AT dajiang studyprotocolofthehealhoadualrandomizedcontrolledtrialtestingtheeffectsofvolunteeringonlonelinesssocialandmentalhealthinolderadults AT danniiyuenlanyeung studyprotocolofthehealhoadualrandomizedcontrolledtrialtestingtheeffectsofvolunteeringonlonelinesssocialandmentalhealthinolderadults AT namkeegchoi studyprotocolofthehealhoadualrandomizedcontrolledtrialtestingtheeffectsofvolunteeringonlonelinesssocialandmentalhealthinolderadults AT rainbowtinhungho studyprotocolofthehealhoadualrandomizedcontrolledtrialtestingtheeffectsofvolunteeringonlonelinesssocialandmentalhealthinolderadults AT jojoyanyankwok studyprotocolofthehealhoadualrandomizedcontrolledtrialtestingtheeffectsofvolunteeringonlonelinesssocialandmentalhealthinolderadults AT youqiangsong studyprotocolofthehealhoadualrandomizedcontrolledtrialtestingtheeffectsofvolunteeringonlonelinesssocialandmentalhealthinolderadults AT keeleechou studyprotocolofthehealhoadualrandomizedcontrolledtrialtestingtheeffectsofvolunteeringonlonelinesssocialandmentalhealthinolderadults |