Psychoeducation

Researchers are evaluating the "One All" curriculum, which uses the sport Ultimate Frisbee to improve mental health resilience among young tribal people in two communities in South India. The study aims to see if this intervention is feasible and acceptable while assessing its effectiveness in building resilience and mental well-being. The research involves young tribal adults aged 12 to 25 years from Gudalur in Tamil Nadu and BR Hills in Karnataka. The intervention includes a three-year curriculum delivered by trained community facilitators who adapt the program to fit local needs. Participants attend two or more sessions each week, each lasting about one and a half hours. Sessions involve warm-up activities, drills, ultimate frisbee games with modified rules, and group discussions called spirit circles. The program focuses on developing skills such as self-management, social awareness, empathy, identity building, and conflict resolution. Participants undergo assessments before the program starts, after 12 months, and after 18 months. These include questionnaires measuring resilience (Child Youth Resilience Measure and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale), mental health (GHQ12), and self-efficacy. Researchers will track attendance and reflections from sessions but will not access medical records. The study involves a baseline interview collecting socioeconomic data and assigns participants codes to protect privacy. Total participation lasts at least 18 months to evaluate outcomes.

This research aims to evaluate whether creating dedicated HIV teams in hospitals across ten European countries can increase HIV testing rates among patients showing signs of HIV-related conditions. The study uses a stepped-wedge design, where hospitals switch from routine care to the new intervention in sequence. This approach compares outcomes before and after the teams are in place, helping to understand the impact of the intervention across various locations and medical specialties. The intervention involves establishing local HIV teams led by specialists and supported by nurses and data experts. These teams identify patients needing HIV tests through electronic health records, provide feedback to doctors to encourage testing, offer education to healthcare staff about HIV, reduce stigma, and improve connections to prevention and care services. This program integrates smoothly into regular hospital routines and aims to close gaps in HIV diagnosis. Participants' HIV testing rates will be monitored by reviewing records before and after the intervention. Researchers will also assess new HIV diagnoses, changes in testing patterns by country and specialty, and healthcare professionals' knowledge and attitudes toward HIV. The study includes ongoing evaluation of how well the teams operate, resource use, and cost-effectiveness. Data collection extends up to several years to observe long-term effects, with continuous monitoring of care access and prevention services.

Young adults aged 25 to 39 who have cancer face unique challenges in coping, and their partners who provide care may feel burdened and less confident in their caregiving roles. Researchers are evaluating a brief psychotherapy intervention designed to improve how these young adults and their caregiving partners cope with cancer and maintain their relationships. This pilot study aims to test whether this intervention is feasible and acceptable in this specific group, providing important information for future larger studies. The intervention involves eight weekly virtual psychotherapy sessions lasting 45 to 60 minutes, delivered to young adults with cancer and their self-identified partners together. It is based on cognitive-behavioral therapy and couples-focused therapy principles tailored for young adults. A trained mental health practitioner will guide the sessions, which include teaching, practical exercises, and home practice. The study includes 10 young adults with cancer and their caregiving partners, totaling 20 participants. Participants will complete surveys before starting the intervention and again after finishing the eight sessions to measure feasibility and acceptability over approximately 14 weeks. They will also be invited to take part in optional interviews to share their experiences. This study is sponsored by Massachusetts General Hospital and does not include a control group or blinding. The total duration of involvement for participants is about three and a half months.

Researchers are evaluating a 12-week home-based mobile health (mHealth) intervention called the Shining Star study, aimed at improving adherence to the 24-Hour Movement Guidelines among preschool-aged children (3-4 years old) who currently meet zero or one of the guidelines for physical activity, screen time, and sleep. The trial seeks to determine if the intervention increases the number of children meeting all three guidelines and if the program is feasible for parents to implement. This randomized controlled trial compares an intervention group using the app to a waitlist control group. Participants in the intervention group will use the Shining Star mobile app, which delivers weekly lessons and behavior-related goals through concise messages, gamification features, behavior trackers, and a parent forum. The control group will receive no intervention during the initial 12 weeks but will complete the same assessments as the intervention group. After 12 weeks, control group participants will gain access to the app and resources. Physical activity and sleep will be tracked with accelerometers, and parents will complete questionnaires. Children's physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep patterns will be assessed at baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks using accelerometers. Parents will provide feedback on their child's movement behaviors, development, and app usability through questionnaires and weekly surveys. Additional measures include motor skills tests, cognition assessments, behavioral problems, executive function, and BMI. Data will be securely stored and analyzed to evaluate the intervention's impact and app feasibility over the 12-week period.

Researchers are studying the WE BEAT program, a 5-week online group-based wellbeing and skill-building program designed for adolescents aged 12 to 17 with moderate to severe congenital heart disease (CHD). The trial aims to see if this program helps participants become more resilient and improves their quality of life compared to usual care. It also examines potential links between participant-reported psychosocial data and clinical outcomes related to CHD. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the WE BEAT program or usual care. After completing the 5-week program, those in the intervention group will be further randomized to receive either a single booster session at week 18 or no booster session. The booster session reviews all skills introduced in the original program. The usual care group will continue their standard treatment without the WE BEAT program. Throughout the approximately 6-month study, all participants will complete four online surveys and provide hair and saliva samples at multiple timepoints. Some may also volunteer for optional blood and urine samples. Researchers will measure resilience using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale and assess various psychosocial and biological markers of stress and wellbeing. The study includes ongoing data collection at baseline, week 5, week 18, and week 30 to track outcomes and safety.

Researchers are evaluating the safety and effectiveness of a liposomal mitoxantrone combination regimen in treating relapsed and refractory solid tumors in children, adolescents, and young adults aged 6 to 24 years. This prospective, single-arm, multicenter clinical study aims to improve the objective response rate compared to historical data and to assess related side effects. The study focuses on specific tumor types including bone and soft tissue tumors and neuroblastoma among others. Participants will receive a treatment regimen combining mitoxantrone liposome, capecitabine, and anlotinib over 4 to 6 cycles, each lasting 21 days. Capecitabine is given twice daily on days 1 to 14, while anlotinib dosage is adjusted based on body weight and administered for 14 days per cycle. Those showing partial response or better may receive additional local treatments such as surgery or radiotherapy. During the study, participants will have regular checkups and tests to monitor tumor status, blood parameters, and other relevant health indicators. The main measurement is the objective response rate after up to 6 treatment cycles. Other outcomes include disease control rate, progression-free survival, overall survival, and safety monitoring for up to one year after treatment. The total observation period includes follow-up assessments to evaluate lasting effects and adverse events.

The GEROS Project is designed to develop and implement a Service-Learning program that combines Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) and health promotion for older adults aged 60 and above. It involves university students from various health-related fields and aims to foster intergenerational learning and community engagement. The study follows a non-experimental mixed-method design and focuses on evaluating frailty, intrinsic capacity, quality of life, and other health indicators in participating older adults. Participants will receive a series of three sessions at the University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia, where students supervised by health professionals conduct CGA evaluations. Following the assessment, users receive a report with their CGA results along with personalized health education and recommendations. The program integrates practical student training with real-world health promotion for older adults. During the study, researchers will assess frailty and quality of life at baseline, and measure satisfaction and self-perceived knowledge and skills of both students and older adult participants after the intervention sessions. Data will be collected through questionnaires and recorded using REDCap. The study supports active aging and aligns with global health and equality goals, with total participation spanning up to 2-4 weeks after intervention.

Researchers are investigating treatments for children aged 1 to 18 years with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and proteinuria, conditions where the kidneys do not function properly and leak protein into the urine. CKD can cause complications like high blood pressure, and treatments currently include ACE inhibitors (ACEI) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) that help control blood pressure and protein levels. This study focuses on evaluating the safety and effects of adding finerenone to these standard treatments, aiming to better manage the overactive kidney system involved in these conditions. Participants will receive finerenone orally, adjusted by age and body weight, alongside their existing ACEI or ARB treatment. The study lasts about 19 months, with up to 18 months of finerenone treatment and a one-month follow-up. During this time, children who are new to finerenone will have at least 12 visits, while those already on finerenone will have at least 8 visits. At these visits, various health checks and sample collections will occur to monitor safety and kidney function. Throughout the study, researchers will regularly measure blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, height, and weight, and collect blood and urine samples to assess kidney function and protein levels. They will also perform heart tests using electrocardiograms and echocardiography. Participants and their guardians will answer questions about medication use and any medical problems experienced. Safety will be closely monitored by tracking any adverse events during the study and a health check will be done about 30 days after treatment ends.

Researchers are evaluating the impact of an active learning-based educational program on the competencies related to evidence-based practice (EBP) in undergraduate physiotherapy students. This study uses a pre-post quasi-experimental design without a control group to assess changes in students' beliefs, attitudes, perceived skills, and frequency of EBP use. The research takes place at Universidad Nacional de La Matanza, Argentina, during a four-month Research Methods course. The intervention consists of weekly group activities embedded within the Research Methods course. These activities include literature searching, critical appraisal, oral presentations, peer feedback, and formative assessments using rubrics. The course aims to improve students' engagement with EBP and their academic skills by providing structured, active learning experiences. Participants will be assessed before the course starts, immediately after the four-month intervention, and one week following course completion. Assessments involve a custom questionnaire measuring beliefs, attitudes, skills, and EBP application frequency. Secondary outcomes include academic engagement, measured by the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale - Student Version, and student satisfaction, evaluated through the Student Outcomes Survey. The study follows institutional ethical guidelines and TREND reporting standards.

This research aims to evaluate the potential benefits of acupuncture as a treatment for children aged 6 to 12 years with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). It compares acupuncture combined with traditional Chinese herbal treatment to herbal treatment alone, using a mixed-methods approach that includes data mining, treatment outcome assessments, and patient perspectives. The study seeks to provide a detailed understanding of acupuncture's role in managing ADHD symptoms, executive function, quality of life, and sleep quality. Participants will be assigned to either an experimental group receiving acupuncture alongside herbal medicine or a control group receiving only the herbal treatment based on Chinese Medicine clinical guidelines. Acupuncture treatments involve specific needles and techniques informed by prior data analysis of effective acupoints for ADHD. Herbal treatments follow established clinical guidelines for pediatric ADHD. The study includes three phases: acupoint data mining, clinical intervention with repeated assessments, and qualitative interviews with children, caregivers, and clinicians. During the 12-month study, children will undergo quantitative assessments such as the SNAP-IV, Conners 3-P, BRIEF-2, PedsQL 4.0, PSQI, and CGI at baseline, post-treatment, and follow-up points to measure ADHD symptoms and related impacts. Qualitative interviews will explore treatment experiences and satisfaction. Researchers will analyze changes in symptoms, executive function, quality of life, and sleep, combining statistical methods with thematic analysis. The study starts in October 2024 and is expected to complete by May 2026.