Helping Overcome Pressure and Exhaustion: Empowerment Classes for Southeast Asian Migrant Care Workers (HOPE)

The Effects of Empowerment Classes on Burnout Syndrome and Emotional Stress Among Southeast Asian Migrant Care Workers: A Randomized Crossover Study

As Taiwan's population ages, Southeast Asian migrant care workers are widely employed to fill the care labor gap. These workers often face symptoms of burnout and emotional stress due to long working hours and high-pressure environments. This study aims to evaluate the effects of empowerment classes on reducing burnout symptoms and emotional stress among Southeast Asian migrant care workers. The empowerment classes are designed based on expert consensus and cover three core areas: mental health and stress management, dementia care skills, and language and communication skills. The curriculum is tailored to the practical needs and cultural backgrounds of the migrant workers. A total of 120 Indonesian care workers will be randomly assigned to two groups. The first group will undergo a three-month empowerment course, while the second group will initially participate in social gatherings. Afterward, the groups will switch interventions. The study will last for 12 months, and each participant will complete seven assessments, including heart rate variability measurements and online questionnaires. The questionnaires will include the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2), the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), the Life and Cultural Adaptation Questionnaire, and the Language Proficiency Questionnaire. The study anticipates that the empowerment classes will reduce burnout symptoms and emotional stress, while enhancing cultural adaptation and language proficiency among migrant care workers.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Depression; Burnout; Heart Rate Variability
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: HOPE empowerment classes

Detailed Description

Study Design:

The study employs a randomized crossover design involving 120 Indonesian care workers in Taiwan. Participants will be randomly assigned to two groups. The first group will undergo a three-month empowerment course initially, while the second group will participate in social gatherings. After three months, the interventions will be switched between the groups. The empowerment classes will cover three core areas: mental health and stress management, dementia care skills, and language and communication skills, tailored to the workers' practical needs and cultural backgrounds.

Duration:

The study will last for 12 months, starting from July 26, 2024, to July 25, 2025.

Data Collection:

Participants will complete seven assessments, including heart rate variability measurements and online questionnaires. The questionnaires will include the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2), the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), the Life and Cultural Adaptation Questionnaire, and the Language Proficiency Questionnaire.

Expected Outcomes:

The study anticipates that the empowerment classes will reduce burnout symptoms and emotional stress, while enhancing cultural adaptation and language proficiency among migrant care workers.

Ethical Considerations:

Participation in this study is voluntary, and participants can withdraw at any time without negative consequences. All personal data will be kept confidential and used solely for research purposes.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 120
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Taiwan
  • Taipei, Taiwan, 1002
    • Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital
    • Principal Investigator: I-Ming Chen, MD, PhD
    • Contact: I-Ming Chen, MD, PhD; Phone Number: 267991 886-2-23123456; Email: iming@ntuh.gov.tw
    • Sub-Investigator: Yu-Hsuan Lin, MD, PhD

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Indonesian migrant care workers responsible for caring for patients in homes or care institutions.
• Aged 18 years or older.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Individuals unable to read the informed consent form or questionnaires in Indonesian.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Empowerment classes; Content: Mental Health and Stress Management: Techniques and strategies for managing stress, mindfulness practices, and mental health awareness. Dementia Care Skills: Training on dementia care, communication with dementia patients, and specific caregiving techniques. Language and Communication Skills: Improving proficiency in local languages and enhancing communication skills relevant to caregiving. Follow-up: After completing the empowerment classes, participants will switch to the social gatherings intervention.	Behavioral: HOPE empowerment classes; A three-month empowerment course.
Active Comparator: Social gatherings; Content: Social Interaction: Regular gatherings to promote social bonding and peer support among care workers. Recreational Activities: Group activities designed to foster relaxation and social engagement. Informal Discussions: Opportunities for care workers to share experiences and coping strategies in an informal setting. Follow-up: After completing the social gatherings, participants will switch to the empowerment classes intervention.	Behavioral: HOPE empowerment classes; A three-month empowerment course.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Heart Rate Variability	Heart Rate Variability measurements will be used to assess changes in autonomic nervous system function, providing an objective measure of stress levels.	12 months
Burnout levels	Measured using the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI). The primary outcome will be the change in burnout levels from baseline to the end of each intervention period. Burnout will be assessed in three domains: personal burnout, work-related burnout, and client-related burnout. Higher scores on the CBI indicate a higher level of burnout, meaning worse outcomes in terms of burnout severity. The range of CBI is 0-100.	12 months
Emotional Stress	Measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2). The outcome will be the change in emotional stress levels from baseline to the end of each intervention period. A PHQ-2 score ranges from 0-6. Higher scores on the PHQ-2 indicate greater severity of depressive symptoms, meaning worse outcomes in terms of emotional stress.	12 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Cultural Adaptation	Measured using the Life and Cultural Adaptation Questionnaire. The secondary outcome will be the change in cultural adaptation levels from baseline to the end of each intervention period. There is a total of 11 questions that inquire about the respondent's adaptation to daily life, work, and culture in Taiwan. Its total score ranges from 11-66. Each item is rated on a scale of 1 to 6, with higher scores indicating better adaptation.	12 months
Language Proficiency	Assessed using the Language Proficiency Questionnaire. The secondary outcome will be the change in language proficiency levels from baseline to the end of each intervention period. There is a total of 7 questions primarily aimed at understanding the current usage of Mandarin and Taiwanese. Each item is rated on a scale of 1 to 6, with higher scores indicating better communication skills in the respective language. The total score ranges from 7 to 42.	12 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: National Taiwan University Hospital

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): July 26, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 25, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 25, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 29, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 29, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): August 1, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): August 6, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 4, 2024
• Last Verified: July 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: dementia; empowerment; burnout; migrant care worker
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Stress, Psychological; Burnout, Psychological
• Other Study ID Numbers: 202406135RINE

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