Social Connectedness Group Intervention in Depression (G4H-A)

University of Nottingham

Status: Completed

Conditions: Depression

Treatments: Behavioral: Groups for Health

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03446963

17110

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study evaluates the feasibility of the Groups for Health (G4H) intervention for adults accessing support for depression in the UK. G4H targets improvements in adults' interpersonal functioning in order to reduce feelings of loneliness. The study will adapt the G4H intervention for delivery to adults seeking treatment for depression in the UK and estimate trial parameters (recruitment, retention, missing data and acceptability) of the adapted intervention, prior to a definitive trial. A mixed methods design of interviews and a single group, pre-post study will be employed.

Full description

Background: Loneliness is frequently reported amongst adults with depression. Interventions to reduce loneliness in different populations have shown mixed results. The Groups for Health (G4H) programme has been developed according to the social identity approach within social psychology and has demonstrated preliminary efficacy for reducing loneliness in a proof-of-concept study conducted with Australian student sample. The present study will examine whether G4H can be adapted to suit the needs of a clinical population in the context of UK secondary care services.

Objective: Phase 1 - To adapt the G4H intervention for delivery to adults seeking treatment for depression in the UK. Phase 2: To estimate trial parameters (recruitment, retention, missing data and acceptability) of the adapted intervention, prior to a definitive trial; to optimise the adapted intervention for delivery to adults accessing treatment for depression in the UK; to optimise evaluation procedures (candidate outcome measures)

Trial configuration: sequential exploratory mixed methods design. Phase 1: one-to-one interviews. Phase 2: Activity 1 (intervention), single group, pre-post study. Activity 2 (interviews): one-to-one interviews.

Condition: Depression

Interventions: group-based behavioural programme

Enrollment: 29 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 65 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Phase 1

Service user participants:

• Aged 18-65
• Accessing treatment for depression
• Loneliness: score 6 or above on the University of California Loneliness Scale (UCLA-3) (Hughes et al., 2004)
• Able to speak/read English
• Ability to give informed consent

Staff participants:

• Clinical practitioner with at least 6 months experience of working with people with depression

Phase 2 Activity 1: intervention

• Aged 18-65
• Accessing treatment for depression
• Loneliness: score 6 or above on the University of California Loneliness Scale (UCLA-3) (Hughes et al., 2004)
• Able to speak/read English
• Ability to give informed consent

Activity 2: interviews

• Attended or agreed to attend Phase 2, Activity 1

Exclusion criteria

• None

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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29 participants in 1 patient group

Single arm: Groups 4 Health

Experimental group

Description:

Social group intervention. The aim is to practice participating in a social group within a safe environment; to identify groups and social networks which are meaningful for the person; and to understand any barriers people may have to engaging with these groups/networks.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Groups for Health