Psycho-educational Intervention Programme for Comprehensive Preparation for Retirement: Study Protocol

Study Protocol for a Randomised Controlled Trial: Effect of a Psycho-educational Intervention Programme for Comprehensive Preparation for Retirement and the New Phase of Life

Background: The transition to retirement can be a challenging event, necessitating the adjustment of new routines, roles and expectations. Such modifications have the potential to impact the individual's quality of life and psychosocial well-being. t is of the utmost importance to develop intervention programmes that prepare people for retirement, with the objective of facilitating a positive and healthy transition.

Methods: A parallel randomised controlled clinical trial with two arms will be conducted. The study will be conducted at the Faculty of Psychology of the University of Salamanca (USAL) in Spain. The study will recruit individuals aged 60 years or older who are already retired or who will retire within the next five years. The participants will be divided into two groups: the intervention group (IG), which will undergo a comprehensive psychoeducational intervention programme, and the control group (CG), which will engage in a controlled follow-up. The programme will comprise 12 sessions over a period of three months. All participants will be assessed at the outset and conclusion of the study, as well as after three months, during which time data regarding their socio-demographic characteristics and responses to the following scales will be collected: The World Health Organization Quality of Life Measure - Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF), the Retirement Attitudes Scale (EAJ), the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), the Questionnaire of Stereotypes towards Old Age (CENVE), the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II), the MOS Questionnaire of Perceived Social Support (MOS), the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), the Generalised Self-Efficacy Scale (EAG) and the Self-Regulation Scale (EAR).

Discussion: The objective of this study is to enhance the comprehension and implementation of intervention programmes in anticipation of retirement and the subsequent phase of life. To this end, a comprehensive psychoeducational intervention is proposed, with the aim of improving quality of life and attitudes towards retirement, increasing life satisfaction, psychological flexibility, perceived social support and general health, self-efficacy and self-regulation, and reducing stereotypes about ageing. The programme is designed to equip individuals with the skills and knowledge to navigate the challenges and opportunities associated with the transition to retirement.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Aging; Older People; Adaptation; Retirement; Psychosocial Factors; Psychology
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Education Programme; Behavioral: Psychoeducational Programme

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 26
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Spain
  • Salamanca, Spain, 37005
    • Castilla y León
    • Contact: Sara Jiménez García-Tizón, PhD; Phone Number: 923294500; Email: sarajim@usal.es

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Be retired or nearing retirement (within 5 years)
• Be 60 years of age or older
• Voluntarily sign the consent form to participate
• Complete the initial assessment

Exclusion Criteria:

• No evidence of literacy difficulties or a significant deficit in language comprehension
• Not meet any of the inclusion criteria.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Education Programme; Why: At the end of the baseline assessment, participants will receive instructions and recommendations to facilitate a positive and healthy transition to retirement, as part of an education programme. These will focus on the benefits of an active lifestyle and general guidelines to follow. What (materials): Instructions and recommendations for an education programme. What (procedures): Participants will receive instructions and recommendations on how to facilitate a positive and healthy transition to retirement as part of an education programme. How: The participants will receive the material individually at the commencement of the programme. When and for how long: The intervention consists of a single session and details of the time and duration will be provided to participants.	Behavioral: Education Programme; At the end of the baseline assessment, participants will receive instructions and recommendations to facilitate a positive and healthy transition to retirement, as part of an education programme. These will focus on the benefits of an active lifestyle and general guidelines to follow.
Experimental: Psychoeducational Programme; Why: The programme is based on a psychoeducational intervention that aims to facilitate a positive and healthy transition into retirement. What (materials): projector, computer, screen, presentation of content, stationery, chairs, tables and self-recording of home tasks. What (procedures): Patients assigned to the experimental group will follow a psychoeducational programme structured and supervised at the University of Salamanca, consisting of a education programme combined with a psychoeducational programme. Who will carry out the interventions: The content is divided into six modules: (I) Introduction to retirement from a psychosocial approach, (II) Health and retirement, (III) Financial security and the process of successful retirement, (IV) Status and retirement, (V) Leisure and retirement, and (VI) My personal project (Table 1). When and for how long: Each participant will receive 4 sessions per month for 3 months, for a total of 12 sessions.	Behavioral: Psychoeducational Programme; The objective of this type of programme is to equip individuals with the knowledge and skills required to navigate the challenges and capitalise on the opportunities presented by retirement. In particular, the programme strives to enhance the quality of life and attitudes towards retirement, elevate levels of life satisfaction, psychological flexibility, perceived social support and general health, self-efficacy and self-regulation, and mitigate stereotypes associated with ageing.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
World Health Organization Quality of Life Measure - Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF)	Quality of life. The range of scores is from 26 to 100 points. The higher the score, the better the quality of life.	Baseline; up to 24 weeks; 3 months follow up

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Retirement Attitudes Scale (EAJ)	Attitudes towards retirement. The range of scores is from 20 to 140 points. The final scores indicate more negative attitudes the higher the value obtained.	Baseline; up to 24 weeks; 3 months follow up
Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS)	Satisfaction with life. The range of scores is from 5 to 25 points. A higher score indicates that the person is generally satisfied with his/her life.	Baseline; up to 24 weeks; 3 months follow up
Questionnaire of Stereotypes towards Old Age (CENVE)	Stereotypes about ageing. The range of score is from 5 to 20 points. High scores indicate a high degree of belief in negative stereotypes of ageing.	Baseline; up to 24 weeks; 3 months follow up
The acceptance and action questionnaire-II (AAQ-II)	Psychological inflexibility. The range of score is from 7 to 49 points. High scores indicate more psychological inflexibility.	Baseline; up to 24 weeks; 3 months follow up
MOS Questionnaire of Perceived Social Support (MOS)	Perceived social support. The overall scores range from 20 to 100 points. The higher the score, the more social support the individual perceives.	Baseline; up to 24 weeks; 3 months follow up
Goldberg General Health Questionnaire (GHQ)	Perceived general health. The overall scores range from 0 to 36 points. Higher scores correspond to a higher level of perceived health.	Baseline; up to 24 weeks; 3 months follow up
Generalised Self-Efficacy Scale (EAG)	Self-efficacy. Scores range from 10 to 40 points. Higher scores indicate higher levels of self-efficacy.	Baseline; up to 24 weeks; 3 months follow up
Self-Regulation Scale (EAR)	Self-regulation. Scores range from 7 to 35 points. Higher scores on the scale indicate a greater ability to control attention in the pursuit of goals, while lower scores may suggest difficulties in maintaining focus and attention to goals.	Baseline; up to 24 weeks; 3 months follow up

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Salamanca

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): September 9, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 9, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 24, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 29, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): August 1, 2024

Study Record Updates

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

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: USAL

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: They will be made available to researchers in the document repository "GREDOS" of the University of Salamanca, Spain.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: Data will be available at the end of the study.
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: Open access for researchers.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; ICF

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No