Need to be Needed (N2BN) Intervention

Part of paid clinical trials in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Sponsor
Temple University
Study ID
NCT06510439
Status
Recruiting
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Conditions

  • Loneliness
  • Social Isolation

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
18 Years - 99 Years
Healthy Volunteers
Not accepted

Interventions

  • Need to Be Needed Intervention — BEHAVIORAL
    Interventionist-supported volunteering intervention that targets opportunities creating social connections that matter through focus on kindness and gratitude throughout the intervention.
  • Active Control Group — OTHER
    Weekly non-directive listening support

Study Details

The proposed study is a randomized, controlled trial (RCT) that will examine the effectiveness of an intervention designed to reduce social isolation and loneliness of adults with serious mental illness (SMI). The intervention will focus on improving their sense of mattering by using acts of kindness and experiencing gratitude through volunteering. 120 participants will be randomly assigned to the intervention group or the attention control group. Over the course of the 6-month intervention, participants in the intervention arm, will receive weekly support from the interventionist. The interventionist and the participant will collaboratively set goals and develop an initial intervention plan, which is informed by the participants interests, values and goals. The attention control group will receive non-directive listening support through research assistants. Data collection for all participants will occur at baseline, at the mid-point of the intervention at 3 months, and at the end of the 6-month intervention. Participants will be asked questions about quality of experience, social context and satisfaction, mattering components, kindness, gratitude, and loneliness. We will gather data on demographic background, life transitions, social network characteristics, internalized stigma, neighborhood climate, depression, and trait measures of mattering and loneliness during intake and exit interviews. Additionally, participants of the intervention arm will be asked to provide feedback about the intervention.

Key Dates

Start date
Oct 7, 2024
Status verified
Jan 2026
Primary completion
Jul 30, 2027
Completion
May 31, 2035

Study Design

Enrollment
120 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT

Arms

  • Experimental: Need to be Needed Intervention
    Interventionists will meet with participants to discuss supported volunteering concepts and develop an initial plan. This plan will be flexible as it is likely that participants will need multiple opportunities to identify and explore options for voluntarism. Once the plan is developed, interventionist will make weekly contact to support participants in achieving goals. These weekly contacts (3x per month) are expected to be brief (30-40 minutes) and focused on information sharing and supported problem solving. Interventionists will also schedule monthly plan reviews (1x per month) with participants to review and revise supported volunteering individualized plans. Both clients who are achieving goals as well as those falling short of their goals may want to revise or change their plan.
  • Active Comparator: Active control group
    Participants assigned to the attention control condition will receive printed information on the importance and opportunities for volunteering and will be encouraged to review resources from the TU Collaborative website. They will receive weekly 10-minute non-directive supportive listening sessions via telephone/videoconferencing with a Research assistant. Research assistants are full-time staff members with an undergraduate degree in psychology. Undergraduate students are not involved in performing the weekly check-ins with the control group. The control group will not receive weekly 1:1 support through a trained clinician.

Primary Outcome Measure

Change of Demographic Background [ Time Frame: baseline, after 3-months, after 6-months ]

Central Contacts

Locations (1)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
Hall MercerPhiladelphiaPennsylvania19106
Steven Niederriter, MBA
[email protected]
215.829.5575

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Hall Mercer· Philadelphia, PA

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