The goal of this pilot study is to determine the feasibility and acceptability of a group loneliness intervention in geriatric psychiatry inpatients. This type of group loneliness intervention is based on functional analytic psychotherapy and is called Awareness, Courage, and Love Groups.
The objective of our clinical trial is to adapt, implement, and evaluate a type of loneliness group intervention called Awareness, Courage, and Love Groups for older adults in a psychiatric unit. The following research questions will be answered: (a) Are ACL groups with geriatric psychiatry inpatients feasible and acceptable? (b) Do such ACL groups demonstrate preliminary efficacy?
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
50
Groups based on the Awareness, Courage, and Love framework from functional analytic psychotherapy
Groups based on treatment as usual where patients gather to discuss how they can help others on the ward, and make requests for how others can help them.
Parkwood Institute Mental Health
London, Ontario, Canada
Inclusion of Other in the Self Scale (IOS)
Brief single-item pictorial measure of social closeness. The minimum value is 1, the maximum value is 7, and higher scores indicate a better outcome.
Time frame: Up to 2 months
UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS-6)
Brief measure of loneliness. The minimum value is 6, the maximum value is 24, and higher scores indicate a worse outcome.
Time frame: Up to 2 months
Relational Health Indices (RHI)
Brief measure of group relational health. The minimum value is 8, the maximum value is 40, and higher scores indicate a better outcome.
Time frame: Up to 2 months
Quantitative Program Satisfaction
Brief measure of program satisfaction. The minimum value is 0, the maximum value is 16, and higher scores indicate a better outcome.
Time frame: Up to 2 months
Cantril Self-Anchoring Striving Scale
1 item pictorial scale of subjective wellbeing from 0 (minimum) to 10 (maximum). A higher score indicates a better outcome.
Time frame: Up to 2 months
Sacred Moment Qualities (SMQ)
Brief measure of perceived sacred qualities, adapted from Pargament et al. (2014). The minimum value is 11, the maximum value is 55, and higher scores indicate a better outcome.
Time frame: Up to 2 months
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