Psychology

Researchers are evaluating how forming a physical activity PA identity within families can promote long-term physical activity among children aged 6 to 12 years. The study compares an identity formation approach, which includes education and planning plus additional coaching, to a standard education and planning condition. The main goal is to see if children in the identity formation group increase their moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity MVPA more over six months. Participants are divided into two groups. One group receives sessions, informational booklets, and worksheets based on Canadas PA guidelines, focusing on how parents can support their childs physical activity through encouragement, logistical help, and doing activities together. This group also receives materials on healthy family eating. The other group receives the same materials plus two extra coaching sessions that include family PA identity activities, such as assigning fun PA roles to family members and creating family PA items like t-shirts and photos, to strengthen social identity related to physical activity. During the six-month study, researchers will monitor childrens MVPA at baseline, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months. Additional assessments include parent-child activity tracking through accelerometers and self-reports, body measurements, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal fitness tests, and social identity questionnaires. The study aims to understand how family support and identity impact childrens physical activity and health outcomes, with the University of Victoria leading the research.

This research aims to evaluate interventions to support family members who act as surrogate decision makers for critically ill patients in Intensive Care Units ICUs. These surrogates often face intense grief and stress that can affect their mental health and the quality of decisions made for their loved ones near end-of-life. The study focuses on reducing symptoms of prolonged grief disorder PGD, post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD, and related emotional challenges through a psychological intervention called EMPOWER. The study compares two approaches the EMPOWER intervention, which is a brief, cognitive-behavioral and acceptance-based treatment delivered by trained mental health professionals, and a Supportive Conversation SC that provides empathetic support without specific skill-building. EMPOWER includes six 15-minute modules and two booster phone sessions, totaling about 90 minutes plus follow-ups, while the Supportive Conversation matches this time with supportive interaction and follow-up calls. Participants are assessed up to four times before and after the intervention within three months. Participants, who are surrogate decision makers of ICU patients near end-of-life, will complete assessments on grief, PTSD, depression, regret, anxiety, and distress before the intervention, immediately after, and at 3 and 12 months follow-up. The study also includes interviews with some participants to better understand the interventions effects and contextual factors during the COVID-19 pandemic. The primary outcomes focus on changes in grief and PTSD symptoms over twelve months, with safety and mental health monitored throughout the study period.

Researchers are studying the effects of AP-Brain collagen peptide on attention, focus, stress, and memory in adults aged 35 to 70 who are stressed but otherwise healthy. The study aims to find out how different doses of AP-Brain affect brain function and to identify any side effects. The trial is a randomized, open-label, parallel design sponsored by Rousselot BVBA. Participants will take either a low dose one 1g tablet or a higher dose three 1g tablets of bovine-based AP-Brain collagen peptide once daily for 56 days. The study includes two groups receiving these different doses to compare their effects on cognitive abilities and stress levels. During the study, participants will visit the study center regularly for checkups. They will complete tests that measure attention, focus, and memory and answer surveys about stress. Blood samples will be collected, vital signs checked, and brain responses monitored to understand the impact of AP-Brain. The main outcome focuses on changes in attention and focus after 56 days of treatment.

Road traffic accidents cause significant health problems worldwide, leading to many injuries and deaths. This research evaluates the feasibility and acceptability of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Integrative Group Treatment Protocol for Ongoing Traumatic Stress EMDR-IGTP-OTS to reduce post-traumatic stress symptoms, depression, and anxiety, and to improve quality of life in people who survived traffic accidents. The study uses a randomized control design involving adults aged 18 to 45 years, assessing outcomes before treatment, after treatment, and at one-month follow-up. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either the EMDR-IGTP-OTS group therapy, which combines EMDR eight-phase protocols with the Butterfly hug technique, or to a control group with no intervention. The study evaluates how well this group therapy works and how acceptable it is for people recovering from ongoing traumatic stress due to road accidents. During the study, participants are assessed at three points using the Urdu Impact of Event Scale-Revised UIES-R, Depression Anxiety Stress Scales DASS-21, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire WHOQOL-BREF. The research team will monitor symptom changes and quality of life improvements over four weeks. The total study duration spans from enrollment through a one-month follow-up, aiming to support trauma-focused care in diverse and resource-limited settings.

This research aims to explore the effects and feasibility of a group-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy ACT program for families of individuals with special health care needs. Parenting children with special needs can be stressful and impact caregivers mental health, while individuals with special needs may struggle with the mismatch between their requirements and typical practices around them. The study focuses on promoting psychological flexibility, which supports value-guided living despite distressing thoughts or feelings. Participants will receive Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, a well-established behavioral psychotherapy adapted for families of individuals with special health care needs. The intervention is delivered in a group format tailored to these families. This pilot study evaluates how this therapy influences psychological flexibility and wellbeing over a six-week treatment period. During the study, participants will be assessed at baseline and at two, four, and six weeks into treatment. Researchers will measure changes in psychological flexibility, psychological inflexibility, psychological wellbeing, and parenting stress using standardized inventories and scales. Child behavior and participants satisfaction and personal experiences with the program will also be evaluated. The study includes follow-up assessments within six weeks after completing treatment to understand the interventions impact.

This research aims to evaluate if the WE BEAT program, a 5-week online group-based wellbeing and skill-building program, helps teens aged 12 to 17 with moderate to severe congenital heart disease CHD improve their ability to handle stress and become more resilient. The study compares participants who receive the WE BEAT program to those who receive usual care, looking at resilience and quality of life. It also explores connections between self-reported psychosocial data and clinical outcomes. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the WE BEAT telemedicine intervention or usual care. After completing the 5-week program, those in the intervention group will be further randomized to either receive a single booster session at week 18 or no booster session. The booster session reviews all skills introduced in the program. The study lasts about 6 months for all participants. During the study, participants complete four sets of online surveys and provide three hair or saliva samples at different times. Some may also give optional blood and urine samples. Researchers will measure resilience using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale and assess various psychosocial and biological markers related to stress and wellbeing. Safety and participant experience are monitored throughout the study period.

This research aims to evaluate the effects of live and recorded music-based interventions on pre-operative stress, mood, pain, and related biomarkers in patients undergoing neurosurgery. The study focuses on measuring changes in vital signs, serum and plasma stress biomarkers, cytokines, as well as perceived anxiety, mood, and pain using validated questionnaires. Additionally, the study investigates correlations between demographic factors, prior musical experience, preference, and exposure to music with stress reduction. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups simulated live music, recorded music, or a control group with no music. The music interventions will be applied before surgery using a Steinway Spirio M recordingplayer piano. The study uses a randomized design with equal allocation to each group to compare the physiological and psychological effects of these interventions. During the study, participants will have their vital signs and blood samples collected for biomarker analysis before and after the music intervention. They will also complete questionnaires assessing anxiety, mood, pain, and musical experience. Researchers will analyze changes throughout the study to assess stress and mood alterations as well as biomarker responses. The total participation duration spans until study completion, with ongoing monitoring of stress and mood changes and music experience questionnaire data.

Researchers are evaluating a robot-assisted tailored activity programme designed to improve physical inactivity in people with dementia and their informal caregivers. This pilot randomized controlled trial aims to test the feasibility and early effects of this programme on physical activity levels, self-confidence in physical activity, quality of life, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and psychological well-being. The study is conducted by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and focuses on mild to moderate dementia cases and their caregiving partners. Participants are randomly assigned to one of two groups. The intervention group will receive a 12-week robot-assisted tailored activity programme, while the control group will continue with usual care provided by community centers. The tailored programme is designed specifically to address the needs of both the person with dementia and their caregiver, encouraging physical engagement and activity over the course of the study. Throughout the study, researchers will assess participants at the start and immediately after the 12-week period. They will measure changes in physical activity, self-efficacy related to physical activity, quality of life for both members of the caregiving dyad, neuropsychiatric symptoms in the person with dementia, and overall psychological well-being. The trial will also monitor the feasibility of implementing this robot-assisted programme. Participant involvement includes regular assessments and adherence to their assigned care pathway during the study period.

Researchers are evaluating the effectiveness of an adaptive web-based intervention called Partners Connect to address drinking behaviors in military spouses and encourage help-seeking among service members. The study aims to find out for whom this intervention works best and which drinking behaviors and mechanisms are affected. It compares the web-based intervention with other resources and phone-based or workbook-guided Community Reinforcement and Family Training CRAFT methods. Participants are assigned to different groups some receive the CRAFT web-based intervention focused on mental health, relationship communication, and positive reinforcement others use self-guided resources from a website if a dyad member does not respond, they may be randomized to phone-based CRAFT sessions or guided by a CRAFT workbook. The interventions include digital storytelling, exercises, and clinician sessions to support behavior change and communication. During the study, participants are monitored from the start through six months, with measures of partner drinking days, drinks per episode, and service member help-seeking. The study tracks mental health symptoms and collects data through surveys and reminders to assess website use. Participants are expected to engage with the interventions and complete follow-up assessments to help researchers evaluate the impact of these approaches on drinking and help-seeking behaviors.

Apathy, characterized by loss of motivation and withdrawal from activities, is common after stroke and significantly affects quality of life for survivors and their caregivers. This study investigates whether a new, accelerated form of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation rTMS targeting the medial prefrontal cortex mPFC can be safe and helpful for people experiencing apathy after stroke. The trial is a double-blind, randomized controlled phase III study focusing on improving apathy symptoms in chronic stroke survivors. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either active accelerated intermittent theta burst stimulation iTBS rTMS targeting the left dorsal medial prefrontal cortex or a sham stimulation. The active treatment involves high-dose rTMS delivered in 12 sessions per day over six treatment days within two weeks, totaling 43,200 pulses. Sham treatment mimics the active procedure without delivering therapeutic stimulation. Brain imaging with MRI will help guide treatment targeting and will be performed before and immediately after the treatment period. During the study, participants will undergo clinical assessments at baseline, immediately after treatment, and one month post-treatment to measure changes in apathy symptoms, cognition, depression, and treatment acceptability. Researchers will monitor safety through treatment-emergent adverse events after each session. The primary outcome is the change in apathy measured by the Lille Apathy Rating Scale and the Apathy Evaluation Scale. The total participation duration includes treatment over two weeks and follow-up assessments up to one month post-treatment.