Summary

Eligibility
for people ages 16 years and up (full criteria)
Healthy Volunteers
healthy people welcome
Location
at UC Irvine
Dates
study started
estimated completion
Principal Investigator
by Stephen Matthew Schueller (uci)

Description

Summary

The goal of this study is to examine the efficacy of an online single-session intervention (SSI) for loneliness.

It aims to answer is if a 20-30 minute online SSI based on an evidence-based internet cognitive behavioral therapy can reduce feelings of loneliness among lonely people.

type of study: clinical trial

participant population/health conditions: English-speakers aged 16 and older with access to internet and a computer, smartphone, or tablet who meet our criteria for struggling with loneliness.

Researchers will compare a 30-minute digital loneliness SSI to a 3-week loneliness digital mental health intervention (DMHI) and a control SSI in their efficacy in reducing loneliness.

Official Title

Brief Internet Interventions to Reduce Loneliness

Details

Severe loneliness is globally prevalent and is strongly associated with impaired mental and physical well-being, making it a significant public health issue (J. T. Cacioppo & Cacioppo, 2018b). Evidence-based interventions for loneliness reach a small subset of people who might benefit from them (Hickin et al., 2021; Masi et al., 2011), so identifying new strategies for addressing loneliness at scale should be a high priority. Online single-session interventions (SSIs) have demonstrated particular promise to offer efficient and highly-scalable support to diverse populations.

The study will test if an internet-mediated self-guided SSI can produce lasting improvements in loneliness. The investigators adapted a 9-week online loneliness intervention (Käll, 2021) into a 3-week version and a 30-minute SSI version. The investigators will randomly assign participants to complete the 3-week version, the SSI version, or a control SSI.

The investigators will collect self-report measures at baseline, directly after the intervention, and 4 and 8 weeks after baseline (see attached table for timing of measures). The investigators will also measure participant engagement with the intervention using self-report and behavioral measures. The investigators will recruit teens and adults (16+) for the study via social media.

Keywords

Loneliness, Mental Health Issue, Overcoming Loneliness three-week intervention, Overcoming Loneliness single-session intervention, Single-session "Sharing Feelings" program, Single-session loneliness program

Eligibility

You can join if…

Open to people ages 16 years and up

  • Be fluent in English
  • Be 16 years old +
  • Have internet access and a computer, smartphone, or tablet
  • To be paid for participation, must meet our criteria for "struggling with loneliness" (ie, a score on the 3-item loneliness screen of at least 6, and indicating that one's loneliness is causing one distress). Otherwise, participants can still participate in the study on a volunteer basis.

You CAN'T join if...

  • Having completed the study in the past
  • Failing both of the attention checks in the baseline measures.
  • Spending less than 2 minutes completing the study introduction and baseline measures (ie, were very likely bots)
  • Indicating, at the end of the study, that one did not complete the study seriously and that one's data should not be included in analyses.

Location

  • Online (based at UC Irvine) accepting new patients
    Irvine California 92697 United States

Lead Scientist at University of California Health

Details

Status
accepting new patients
Start Date
Completion Date
(estimated)
Sponsor
University of California, Irvine
ID
NCT05687162
Study Type
Interventional
Participants
Expecting 2000 study participants
Last Updated