TIVA Mobile Health Intervention for Family Caregivers (TIVA-Pilot)

May 29, 2026 updated by: Universidade do Porto

A Mobile Health Intervention for the Promotion of Mental Health in Family Caregivers: Protocol for a Pilot Study

This pilot study aims to evaluate the feasibility, usability, and preliminary effects of the TIVA mobile health intervention in promoting positive mental health among family caregivers of older adults. TIVA is a culturally adapted mobile application based on Lluch's Positive Mental Health model and designed to support caregivers through daily activities, motivational messages, relaxation strategies, and psychoeducational content over a four-week intervention period.

A pilot randomized controlled study with parallel allocation will be conducted involving family caregivers recruited in community and primary healthcare settings in Portugal. Participants will be allocated either to the TIVA intervention group or to a usual care control group. Outcomes will include positive mental health, caregiver burden, usability, satisfaction, adherence, and acceptability. Data will be collected at baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up.

This study intends to contribute to the development of accessible digital mental health strategies to support family caregivers and promote healthy ageing.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This pilot randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the feasibility, usability, acceptability, and preliminary effects of the TIVA mobile health intervention designed to promote positive mental health among family caregivers of older adults.

The TIVA intervention is a culturally adapted mobile application based on Lluch's Positive Mental Health model and derived from the Spanish "Cuidadoras Crónicos" program. The intervention includes daily psychoeducational content, motivational messages, relaxation exercises, and activities focused on emotional well-being, autonomy, interpersonal relationships, problem-solving, and self-care over a four-week period.

Family caregivers will be recruited from community and primary healthcare settings in Portugal. Eligible participants will be randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to either the intervention group (TIVA app plus usual care) or the control group (usual care only). Due to the nature of the intervention, participant blinding will not be feasible.

Data collection will occur at baseline (T0), immediately after the intervention period (T1), and at follow-up (T2). Outcomes will include positive mental health, caregiver burden, usability, satisfaction, adherence, and acceptability. Positive mental health will be assessed using the Positive Mental Health Questionnaire, and caregiver burden will be evaluated using the Zarit Burden Interview.

This study seeks to contribute to the development of accessible digital mental health strategies for family caregivers and to support healthy ageing policies and community-based care.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

80

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 Contact

Study Locations

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults aged 18 years or older.
  • Unpaid family caregivers of a person with chronic illness, disability, or dependency.
  • Providing regular caregiving assistance for at least 4 months.
  • Living in Portugal.
  • Ability to read and understand Portuguese.
  • Ownership and use of a smartphone with internet access compatible with the TIVA mobile application.
  • Willingness to install and use the TIVA app for 4 weeks.
  • Ability to provide informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Severe cognitive impairment.
  • difficulties preventing independent use of the application or completion of study assessments.
  • Severe psychiatric disorder or acute mental health crisis interfering with participation.
  • Participation in another structured caregiver support or psychological intervention during the study period.
  • Inability to use a smartphone independently.

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: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: TIVA Intervention
Behavioral: TIVA Mobile Application
Behavioral: TIVA Mobile Application
The intervention consists of the use of the TIVA mobile application over a four-week period. The application was culturally adapted for Portuguese family caregivers and is based on Lluch's Positive Mental Health model. The app includes daily activities, motivational messages, relaxation exercises, psychoeducational content, and self-reflection strategies aimed at promoting positive mental health and well-being among family caregivers of older adults.
No Intervention: Usual Care
Active Comparator

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Positive Mental Health
Time Frame: Baseline, post-intervention at 4 weeks, and 3-month follow-up

Positive Mental Health assessed using the Positive Mental Health Questionnaire (PMHQ). The PMHQ total score ranges from 39 to 156, with higher scores indicating better positive mental health, emotional well-being, autonomy, interpersonal relationship skills, self-control, and problem-solving ability. Lower scores indicate lower levels of positive mental health.

[Time Frame: Baseline, post-intervention at 4 weeks, and 3-month follow-up]
Baseline, post-intervention at 4 weeks, and 3-month follow-up

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Caregiver Burden
Time Frame: Baseline, post-intervention at 4 weeks, and 3-month follow-up
Caregiver burden assessed using the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI). Total scores range from 0 to 88, with higher scores indicating higher levels of perceived caregiver burden, stress, and emotional overload associated with the caregiving role.
Baseline, post-intervention at 4 weeks, and 3-month follow-up

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Usability of the TIVA Mobile Application
Time Frame: Post-intervention at 4 weeks
Usability of the TIVA mobile application assessed using the System Usability Scale (SUS). SUS scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater usability, accessibility, and user satisfaction with the mobile application.
Post-intervention at 4 weeks
Satisfaction With the TIVA Mobile Application
Time Frame: Post-intervention at 4 weeks.
User satisfaction assessed using a TIVA-specific satisfaction questionnaire based on Likert-scale items. Higher scores indicate greater satisfaction, usability, acceptability, and perceived usefulness of the TIVA mobile application.
Post-intervention at 4 weeks.
Adherence
Time Frame: During the 4-week intervention period.
Adherence to the TIVA intervention assessed through in-app usage data, including frequency of logins, percentage of completed daily activities, and sustained participation throughout the 4-week intervention period. Higher adherence indicates greater engagement and continued use of the TIVA mobile application.
During the 4-week intervention period.
Acceptability of the TIVA Intervention
Time Frame: Post-intervention at 4 weeks.
Acceptability of the TIVA intervention assessed through participant-reported perceptions of usefulness, relevance, satisfaction, and willingness to continue or recommend the intervention. Higher scores indicate greater acceptability and perceived value of the TIVA mobile application.
Post-intervention at 4 weeks.

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Universidade do Porto

Collaborators

Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Sandra MT Carreira, PhD Student, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar

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 (Estimated)

September 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

March 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

April 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 20, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 29, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

June 1, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 1, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 29, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • TIVA-PILOT-2026

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data will not be publicly shared due to privacy, ethical, and data protection considerations. Aggregated study results may be made available upon reasonable request and in accordance with institutional and ethical regulations.

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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