Module-Based Psychological (MBP) for Community Youths (MBP_RCT)

A Randomised Controlled Trial of Module-Based Psychological (MBP) Intervention for Young People with Mental Distress in Hong Kong

This waitlist, randomised controlled trial (RCT) aims to examine the effectiveness of the Module-Based Psychological (MBP) intervention in reducing mental distress for youths aged 12-30 years in Hong Kong. The participants randomised to the MBP group will receive 4-7 sessions of MBP (in 6 to 10 weeks) in an individual format delivered by frontline social or youth workers trained by professional clinicians. The waitlist control group will receive the same intervention after 6 weeks of waiting plus a 1-month follow-up period. The MBP is designed to improve the youths' abilities/skills in handling moods for better emotional management. Written informed consent will be signed by participants or their parents/guardians if they are under the age of 18.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Depressive Symptoms; Anxiety Symptoms; Mental Disorder
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Module-Based Psychological (MBP) Intervention

Detailed Description

This randomised controlled trial (RCT) aims to examine the effectiveness of the Module-Based Psychological (MBP) intervention in reducing mental distress for youths in Hong Kong. This intervention study will be delivered in an individual format for 4 sessions of core module in 6 weeks plus/minus 2-3 sessions of tailored-made module in 3-4 weeks by frontline social or youth workers trained by professional clinicians. It is designed to improve the youths' abilities and skills in handling moods for better emotional management. The MBP intervention has two modules: core and tailor-made modules. The core module focuses on emotional management, while the five tailor-made modules include anxiety management, mood and depression management, anger management, sleeping well, and managing self-expectation and compassion. The tailor-made modules will be assigned to youths according to their needs. While the clinical outcome of the MBP is evaluated, its cost-effectiveness is also of particular concern. Planned interim analyses are built into the project for the sake of evaluation of the collected data from the ongoing trial, in which the primary research question is addressed and which has the potential to modify the conduct of the study. It is hypothesised that the youths who have received MBP intervention will demonstrate a greater reduction in mental distress, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms compared to the youths in the waitlist control group. Besides, the MBP intervention will be more cost-effective than waiting.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 400
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Hong Kong
  • Hong Kong, Hong Kong
    • University of Hong Kong

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. LevelMind@JC users aged from 12-30
2. Reported at-least mild mental distress
3. Have sufficient proficiency in Chinese to understand verbal instructions
4. Able to give informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Known diagnosis of intellectual disability
2. Known diagnosis of organic brain disorder
3. Known psychiatric diagnosis within two years
4. Current substance abuse
5. Receiving any psychiatric treatments or structural psychological therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy, mentalisation-based therapy and low-intensity online intervention, narrative therapy, mindfulness, and art-informed therapy
6. Current or active suicidal ideation or attempts

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: MBP intervention arm; The MBP intervention has two modules: the core and the tailor-made modules. The core module focuses on emotional management, while the five tailor-made modules include anxiety management, mood and depression management, anger management, sleeping well, and managing self-expectation and compassion.	Behavioral: Module-Based Psychological (MBP) Intervention; Participants will receive one core module related to emotional management and maximum two tailor-made modules according to the participant's needs. Each weekly session lasts for 1 hours. The core module will last for 6 weeks and the tailor-made modules will last for 3 - 4 weeks.
Other: Waitlist control arm; Participants allocated to the waitlist control group will wait for 6 plus 4 weeks before receiving the MBP intervention.	Behavioral: Module-Based Psychological (MBP) Intervention; Participants will receive one core module related to emotional management and maximum two tailor-made modules according to the participant's needs. Each weekly session lasts for 1 hours. The core module will last for 6 weeks and the tailor-made modules will last for 3 - 4 weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
General mental distress	Measured using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, 6-item version (K6). The total K6 score ranges from 0 to 24, with higher scores indicating a greater distress level.	baseline (T0), post-treatment (6-week, T1), and follow-up (9 week, T2)
Depressive symptoms	Measured using the 7-item Depression Subscale of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale, 21-item version (DASS-D). The total score ranges from 0-42, with higher scores indicating greater severity of depressive symptoms.	baseline (T0), post-treatment (6-week, T1), and follow-up (9 week, T2)
Anxiety symptoms	Measured using the 7-item Anxiety Subscale of the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale 21-item version (DASS-A) The total score ranges from 0-42, with higher scores indicating greater severity of anxiety symptoms.	baseline (T0), post-treatment (6-week, T1), and follow-up (9 week, T2)
Functioning	Measured using the Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale (SOFAS). The score ranges from 0-100, with higher scores indicating better social and occupational functioning related to physical and mental health.	baseline (T0), post-treatment (6-week, T1), and follow-up (9 week, T2)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Health-related quality of life	Measured using the 12-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12). The derived index score ranges from 0-100, with higher scores indicating better physical and mental health functioning.	baseline (T0), post-treatment (6-week, T1), and follow-up (9 week, T2)
Self-compassion	Measured using the 12-item Self-Compassion Scale (SCS). The total score ranges from 5-60, with higher scores indicating better self-compassion.	baseline (T0), post-treatment (6-week, T1), and follow-up (9 week, T2)
Self-efficacy	Measured using the 10-item General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE). The total score ranges from 10 and 40, with higher scores indicating more self-efficacy.	baseline (T0), post-treatment (6-week, T1), and follow-up (9 week, T2)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: The University of Hong Kong
• Collaborators: The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Christy Lai-ming Hui, The University of Hong Kong

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 1, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 31, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 31, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 11, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 20, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): August 23, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 11, 2025
• Last Verified: March 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: randomised controlled trial; youths; module-based psychological intervention; mental distress
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Depression; Mental Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: MBP_intervention

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
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No