Mental Health Help-seeking Promotion in Older Adults

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Mental Health Help-seeking

Treatments: Behavioral: Service as usual; Behavioral: Pictorial social norm nudges; Behavioral: Descriptive social norm nudges

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06707935

HSEARS20231109001

Details and patient eligibility

About

The present study aims to examine the effectiveness of descriptive social norm nudges and pictorial social norm nudges in improving mental health help-seeking intention compared to educational information.

Full description

This study is a three-arm randomised controlled trial (RCT) in 540 older adults aged 60 years and above recruited through NGOs, testing the utility of revised TPB with baseline data, and the effectiveness of descriptive social norm-nudges (intervention group 1) and pictorial social norm- nudges (intervention group 2) comparing to traditional mental health education (control). Participants will be evenly randomised and receive 1 message/picture per day consecutively for 2 weeks. Researchers blind to group allocation will interview participants at baseline (T0), 2 weeks (post-intervention, T1), and 12 weeks (follow-up, T2). The primary outcomes are changes in subjective norms and help-seeking intention assessed using a revised Chinese version of the theory of planned behaviour questionnaire (C-TPB); secondary outcomes include perceived behavioural control, help-seeking attitude, perceived barriers to help-seeking (C-TPB subscales), and mental health assessed by PHQ-9, GAD-7 and UCLA-3.

Enrollment: 540 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 60+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• aged 60 years or above at the time of the baseline assessment
• have no severe mental disorder or cognitive impairment
• have no severe visual impairment
• be able to read Chinese
• have a smartphone with an instant communication application to receive text and images

Exclusion criteria

• have severe difficulty in reading and communication
• show imminent suicidal risk at any stage of the study

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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540 participants in 3 patient groups

Descriptive social norm nudges

Experimental group

Description:

Participants receive messages with social norm nudges presented in the word form.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Descriptive social norm nudges

Pictorial social norm nudges

Experimental group

Description:

Participants receive messages with social norm nudges presented in graphic form.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Pictorial social norm nudges

Active control

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants receive messages with generic mental health knowledge or information.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Service as usual