Development and Feasibility of a Metaverse-based Blended Online Intervention to Prevent Employees' Depression

Development and Feasibility of a Metaverse-based Blended Online Intervention to Prevent Employees' Depression: Applying Intervention Mapping

The goal of this feasibility study is to develop a new metaverse-based blended online intervention using an online program and coaching via metaverse to prevent depression among Generation MZ Employees in South Korea. In addition, this study primarily explores reach and acceptability and secondarily evaluates the preliminary effectiveness of this preventive intervention on Korea's Gen MZ Employees.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Depression and Suicide Ideation
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: metaverse-based blended online intervention

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 32
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Korea, Republic of
  • Seoul, Korea, Republic of, 03760
    • Ewha Womans University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Generation MZ Employees of South Korea who are aged between 20 and 42; Millennials were born between 1981 to 1996, and Generation Zs were born between 1997 to 2004

Exclusion Criteria:

• 1) being unemployed or having less than 1 year job experience,
• 2) having mental disorders such as schizophrenia or substance abuse (as this is a preventive intervention) and currently attending other mental health therapy to avoid mixing effects.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Mindguide_employee	Behavioral: metaverse-based blended online intervention; A new metaverse-based blended online intervention was developed using an online program and coaching via metaverse to prevent depression among Generation MZ Employees in South Korea.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Recruitment	Recruitment will be assessed by the number of potentially eligible participants enrolled.	baseline
The retention rate	The retention rate will be calculated as the percentage of completion rates for the entire intervention and questionnaires until the completion of a 5 weeks after intervention.	Baseline, at 5 weeks after intervention.
Acceptability	Acceptability refers to how participants perceive and feel about the intervention and its components. A 13- item questionnaire was developed based on the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire to measure acceptability with three subcategories: helpfulness (three items), suitability (seven items), and satisfaction (three items). Participants responded on a 5- point Likert scale ranging from 1 (not at all) to 5 (very).	at 5 weeks after intervention.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Depression scale	The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale with 20- item will be used to measure depressive symptoms using a 4- point Likert scale. The total score ranges from 0 to 60, with higher scores indicating higher levels of depressive symptoms.	Baseline, at 5 weeks after intervention.
Positive and Negative Affect Schedule	Positive and Negative Affect Schedule will used to measure positive and negative affect using a 5- point Likert scale. The total score ranges from 10 to 50, with higher scores indicating a greater perception of positive affect or negative affect.	Baseline, at 5 weeks after intervention.
Satisfaction with Life Scale	the Satisfaction with Life Scale with 5- items will be used to assess life satisfaction using a 7- point Likert scale. The total score ranges from 5 to 35, with higher scores indicating greater life satisfaction.	Baseline, at 5 weeks after intervention.
Sleep Quality scale	Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index with 19 items will be used to evaluate overall sleep quality. 19 self-reported items includes seven subcategories: subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep effi ciency, sleep disturbances, use of sleeping medication, and daytime dysfunction. The total score ranges from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating worse sleep quality.	Baseline, at 5 weeks after intervention.
Burnout assessment tool	Burnout assessment tool with 23 items will be used to measure burnout including four core burnout symptoms: Exhaustion, Mental Distance, Emotional Impairment, and Cognitive Impairment. For each core scale, the average score is calculated by summing the scores of the items in that scale and dividing by the number of items in that scale. Score Interpretation: 1.0 to 1.9: Very low or no burnout symptoms. 2.0 to 2.9: Mild burnout symptoms. 3.0 to 3.9: Moderate burnout symptoms. 4.0 to 5.0: Severe burnout symptoms	Baseline, at 5 weeks after intervention.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Ewha Womans University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Suk-Sun Kim, PhD, Ewha Womans Univeristy

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 5, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 7, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): April 7, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 14, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 20, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): May 23, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): August 8, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 5, 2025
• Last Verified: February 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: depression; Suicide; Digital Health; Employee; Preventive Health Program
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Behavioral Symptoms; Self-Injurious Behavior; Mood Disorders; Suicide; Depression; Depressive Disorder
• Other Study ID Numbers: Mindguide_Employee

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