Feasibility & Acceptability of a Virtual Sister Circle Intervention for Black Women With Depressive Symptoms

May 11, 2026 updated by: Kia Skrine Jeffers, PhD, RN, PHN

Evaluating the Feasibility and Acceptability of a Therapeutically-Grounded Virtual Sister Circle Intervention for Black Women With Depressive Symptoms

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a protocol for middle- and older-aged Black women with depressive symptoms.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

30

Phase

  • 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 Locations

  • United States
    • California
      • Los Angeles, California, United States, 90095
        • University of California, Los Angeles

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

Ages Eligible for Study

40 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Identify as Black or African American
  • Identify as female
  • Age 40 years and older
  • Community-dwelling
  • Self-report of experiencing depressive symptoms
  • Ability to commit to the 8-week intervention
  • Access to Zoom
  • Speak and read English

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Have a diagnosis of bipolar, but is not taking medication for the condition
  • Experiencing psychosis

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: Treatment
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Group 1 Intervention, Weeks 1-8
During Weeks 1-8, Group 1 receives the Intervention and Group 2 receives no treatment.
Behavioral: Sister Circle protocol
The intervention is an 8-week, therapeutically-informed protocol.
Active Comparator: Group 2 Intervention, Weeks 9-16
During Weeks 9-16, Group 2 receives the Intervention and Group 1 receives no treatment.
Behavioral: Sister Circle protocol
The intervention is an 8-week, therapeutically-informed protocol.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Completion and Retention Rates of Participants as Measures of Feasibility
Time Frame: 12 weeks
Completion: # of participants who attended 4+ sessions/ # participants available to attend 4+ sessions Retention: # retained/ # enrolled
12 weeks
Number of Participants Who Reported Acceptability According to the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability
Time Frame: 12 weeks
Qualitative assessment of Acceptability. The interview guide was organized according to the 7 constructs of the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability. Participants reported whether the intervention was an acceptable fit with their personal value of becoming more whole, and with their collective value of addressing their depressive symptoms and experiences in a trusted space.
12 weeks
Proportion of Eligible Potential Participants That Enrolled in the Study, as a Measure of Feasibility
Time Frame: 6 weeks
Recruitment: # enrolled/# eligible
6 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Changes in Psychological Flexibility (Baseline to 6 Weeks)
Time Frame: Baseline to 6 weeks
Changes in psychological flexibility scores from baseline to 6 weeks using the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire II (AAQ-II). Scores range from 7-49. Lower scores indicate greater psychological flexibility (better outcome).
Baseline to 6 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Kia Skrine Jeffers, PhD, RN, PHN

Collaborators

National Institute on Aging (NIA)
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Kia Skrine Jeffers, PhD, RN, PHN, University of California, Los Angeles

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)

September 14, 2022

Primary Completion (Actual)

April 2, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

April 2, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 29, 2021

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 5, 2021

First Posted (Actual)

April 8, 2021

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 5, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 11, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 21-002949
  • UL1TR001881 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • P30-AG02168 (Other Grant/Funding Number: NIA)

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.

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