Oxford Social Movement Activation Study (SOMA)

June 9, 2025 updated by: University of Oxford

Investigating the Effects of Social Movement on Mood and Social and Emotional Functioning in Young People Experiencing Low Mood

For adolescents and young people particularly, there is need for better and more readily available treatments for depression and low mood. Comparatively less work has been done to characterize and treat depression specifically in young people. Previous literature indicates that often the unaddressed or under-addressed mental health difficulties in youth perseverate into adulthood and contribute to a host of individual and communal difficulties throughout the lifespan. Specifically, if depression goes unaddressed in young adulthood, the likelihood of a chronic course and multiple relapses or recurrences is much higher.

In the present research, we seek to investigate the potential efficacy of a novel intervention for young people with low mood. Depression disrupts social functioning, and social connectedness is especially important during adolescence for healthy development. Within a growing body of literature, social dance has been linked to social and mental health benefits along the dimensions of those disrupted in depression. We hypothesize that social dance might preferentially and efficiently target the goals of addressing loneliness, closeness, and enjoyment in young people compared to other approaches to the treatment of low mood and depression in a way that could lead to mood improvements.

Specifically, we are interested in the impact of a social movement-based activity, salsa dancing, on young peoples' mood and social and emotional processing. Social and emotional processing (SEP) tasks, such as emotional facial recognition and memory for emotional words, have been demonstrated to correspond with early changes that can be predictive of mood changes and treatment efficacy downstream. Including SEP tasks in this research will help to elucidate the potential mechanisms underlying mood improvements, should social dance correspond to improved mood in participants.

The present research seeks to:

  1. Aim 1: Investigate the effect of a social dance intervention on low mood. This will be assessed by administering psychological questionnaires to participants before, during, and after the study course of social dance sessions. In particular, we hypothesize that participants will experience reductions in low mood (assessed via the PHQ-9) following the social movement intervention as compared to a waitlist control.
  2. Aim 2: Characterize any early social and emotional processing changes that correspond to social dance versus a waitlist control. This will be assessed via social and emotional processing task performance before, during, and following the social movement sessions. We anticipate that improvements in social and emotional functioning as demonstrated via one or several of these tasks will assist in elucidating the possible mechanisms responsible for mood improvement from social movement.
  3. Aim 3: Characterize any social interaction difference from pre to post intervention that correspond to the social dance versus waitlist condition. This will be assessed via a version of the trust game before and following the social movement sessions and waitlist control. We anticipate seeing more disrupted trust behavior prior to the intervention or control conditions and less disrupted trust behavior following salsa dancing classes, but not the waitlist control.

In this randomized controlled trial, participants in the experimental group will complete six to eight sessions of social movement (salsa dance) classes within an eight-week period, and complete psychological questionnaires and tasks before, during, and after these eight weeks. Their scores will be compared with those of a control group that will participate in an active waitlist condition.

If the present study suggests that social movement benefits young people with low mood, it could form the basis for investigating a potential new cost-effective, non-invasive, accessible intervention that could be made available to young people.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
121

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Individuals aged 18 to 24 at time of eligibility screening;
  • Competency to give informed consent;
  • Individuals will *not* be excluded for a formal diagnosis of depression from a GP or other mental healthcare provider, nor for being presently or formerly on medication for depression; nor for presently or formerly attending talk therapies;
  • Individuals who do not meet the exclusion criteria specified below.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Individuals with a PHQ-9 score of less than 5 (indicating no low mood) or greater than 19 (indicating a low mood that could be too severe for this research);
  • individuals who self-report a current or recent diagnosis of any psychotic disorder (e.g., bipolar, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder), substance use disorders, eating disorders, or personality disorders
  • individuals who self-report that they are unfit for light physical exertion;
  • individuals who regularly, or have regularly, attended partner dance classes or partner dance events within the last six months (as they would already be receiving the potential benefits we are investigating in this study);
  • and individuals for whom the Principal Investigator determines that the study is not suitable.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Salsa Dancing
Participants will complete eight weeks of a salsa course in Oxford (of which they need to attend six classes to remain in the study), followed by a one-month follow-up time point.
Behavioral: Salsa Dancing
Participants will complete salsa dancing classes in central Oxford with instructor(s) from the Oxford University Salsa Society
No Intervention: Waitlist Control
Participants will wait twelve weeks, completing the questionnaires and tasks at the same study time points as participants in the experimental condition.They will then be offered the opportunity to complete the eight-week salsa course. Should they choose to participate in the salsa course, they will additionally be offered the opportunity to complete questionnaires at two additional time points.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in depressive symptoms from baseline at week four, eight, and twelve
Time Frame: Will be assessed at week 0, 4, 8, and 12 of the intervention
Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) score. Higher scores indicate greater depressive symptoms.
Will be assessed at week 0, 4, 8, and 12 of the intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in anxiety symptoms from baseline at week four, eight, and twelve
Time Frame: Will be assessed at week 0, 4, 8, and 12 of the intervention
Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) score. Higher scores indicate greater anxiety.
Will be assessed at week 0, 4, 8, and 12 of the intervention
Change in social anxiety symptoms from baseline at week four, eight, and twelve
Time Frame: Will be assessed at week 0, 4, 8, and 12 of the intervention
Social Anxiety Scale - Adolescent (SAS-A) score. Higher scores indicate greater social anxiety.
Will be assessed at week 0, 4, 8, and 12 of the intervention
Change in loneliness from baseline at week four, eight, and twelve
Time Frame: Will be assessed at week 0, 4, 8, and 12 of the intervention
UCLA Loneliness Scale (+ Loneliness Question) score. Higher scores indicate more loneliness.
Will be assessed at week 0, 4, 8, and 12 of the intervention
Change in daily mood questionnaire scores
Time Frame: daily from baseline through week 12 of the intervention
Scoring one Likert scale mood questionnaire ("How happy do you feel?"), range 1-10. Higher values represent more happiness.
daily from baseline through week 12 of the intervention
Change in social anhedonia from baseline at week four, eight, and twelve
Time Frame: Will be assessed at week 0, 4, 8, and 12 of the intervention
Anticipatory and Consummatory Interpersonal Pleasure Scale (ACIPS) score. Higher scores indicate lower social anhedonia.
Will be assessed at week 0, 4, 8, and 12 of the intervention
Change in recognition of positive and negative facial expressions from baseline at week 8
Time Frame: Will be assessed at week 0 and week 8 of the intervention
Hit rate for detecting positive versus negative faces in a facial expression recognition task (FERT)
Will be assessed at week 0 and week 8 of the intervention
Change in speed during recognition of positive and negative facial expressions
Time Frame: Will be assessed at week 0 and week 8 of the intervention
Reaction times for correctly recognised positive versus negative faces in facial expression recognition task (FERT)
Will be assessed at week 0 and week 8 of the intervention
Change in emotional categorisation (ECAT)
Time Frame: Will be assessed at week 0 and week 8 of the intervention
Reaction times for correctly classifying positive versus negative personality characteristic words
Will be assessed at week 0 and week 8 of the intervention
Change in recall in the emotional recall task (EREC)
Time Frame: Will be assessed at week 0 and week 8 of the intervention
Number of positive and negative words correctly (and incorrectly) recalled in the EREC task
Will be assessed at week 0 and week 8 of the intervention
Change in memory in the emotional memory task (EMEM)
Time Frame: Will be assessed at week 0 and week 8 of the intervention
Number of positive and negative words correctly (and incorrectly) recalled as familiar and novel
Will be assessed at week 0 and week 8 of the intervention
Change in trust behavior in the trust game (Trust Game)
Time Frame: Will be assessed at week 0 and week 8 of the intervention
Investment behavior and sensitivity to trustee's generosity when playing the role of the investor in a trust game
Will be assessed at week 0 and week 8 of the intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Oxford

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
July 17, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
February 28, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
February 28, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
July 18, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 18, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
July 27, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 12, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 9, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • SOMA

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings