MedTrace Logo

Prosocial Behavior Can Safeguard Mental Health and Foster Emotional Well-being During the COVID-19 Pandemic

NCT04517006 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 1328

Last updated 2021-05-26

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

The COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying lockdown measures have made mental health a pressing public health concern. Acts that focus on benefiting others-known as prosocial behaviors-offer one promising intervention that is both flexible and low cost. However, neither the range of emotional states prosocial acts impact nor the size of those effects is currently clear, both of which directly influence its attractiveness as a treatment option. Using a large online sample from Canada and the United States, the investigators will examine the effect of a three-week prosocial intervention on two indicators of emotional well-being (happiness and the belief that one's life is valuable) and mental health (anxiety and depression). Respondents will be randomly assigned to perform prosocial, self-focused, or neutral behaviors each week. Two weeks after the intervention, a final survey will assess whether the intervention has a lasting effect on mental health and emotional well-being. The results will illuminate whether prosocial interventions are a viable approach to addressing mental health needs during the current COVID-19 pandemic, as well for those who face emotional challenges during normal times.

Conditions

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Self-focused acts

Completion of daily acts for personal enjoyment.

BEHAVIORAL

Prosocial acts

Completion of daily acts for the benefit of others.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • University of Toronto

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Andrew Miles, PhD · University of Toronto

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Model
FACTORIAL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2021-01-31
Primary Completion
2021-04-04
Completion
2021-04-04

Countries

  • Canada

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Entities

Diseases

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT04517006 on ClinicalTrials.gov