此页面是自动翻译的，不保证翻译的准确性。请参阅 英文版 对于源文本。

Email-Delivered Digital Positive Affect Intervention for Young Adults in Zimbabwe (SPARK-Z)

2026年6月26日 更新者：Evaldas Kazlauskas、Vilnius University

A Brief Email-Delivered Positive Affect Intervention for Young Adults in Zimbabwe: A Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial

This study evaluates the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a brief email-delivered positive affect intervention for young adults in Zimbabwe. The study uses a randomised controlled trial design with two parallel arms.

A total of 100 participants aged 18-25 years will be randomly assigned to two arms: an experimental arm receiving an email-delivered positive affect intervention or a control arm receiving psychoeducational materials. The intervention group will receive guided activities twice weekly over three weeks, focusing on identifying, reflecting on, and engaging in positive experiences. The control group will receive general psychoeducational materials on mental health without structured activities.

Assessments will be conducted at baseline and after the intervention. The primary outcome is feasibility( including recruitment, retention, and adherence) and acceptance. Secondary outcomes include changes in positive affect, symptoms of depression and anxiety,self-stigma, and suicidal ideation.

研究概览

地位

尚未招聘

条件

干预/治疗

详细说明

Digital mental health interventions are increasingly recognised as scalable and accessible approaches to supporting psychological well-being, particularly among young adults. These approaches may be especially valuable in low- and middle-income countries, where mental health services are limited and barriers to help-seeking remain substantial. Previous research in Zimbabwe has demonstrated the feasibility and acceptability of digitally delivered mental health interventions (Dambi et al., 2022). However, little is known about the feasibility of self-guided digital interventions designed to enhance positive affect and psychological well-being among young adults.

Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a brief email-delivered positive affect intervention among young adults in Zimbabwe and to explore its preliminary effects on positive affect, negative affect, symptoms of depression and anxiety, suicidality, and self-stigma associated with seeking psychological help.

The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, usability, and participant engagement of a brief email-based positive affect intervention.

The secondary objectives of the study are; To examine changes in positive affect following participation in the intervention.

To assess changes in anxiety, depression, suicidality, and negative affect following participation in the intervention.

To explore changes in self-stigma associated with seeking psychological help following participation in the intervention.

This study is a two-arm, parallel-group randomised controlled feasibility trial. Participants will be randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to either a positive affect intervention group or an active psychoeducational control group. The intervention period will last three weeks, with assessments conducted at baseline (T0) and immediately following the intervention (T1).

In addition to that, participants will be recruited from a previously established cohort of young adults in Zimbabwe who participated in a cross-sectional mental health survey and consented to future contact. The study aims to recruit 100 participants aged 18-25 years.

Ethical approval has been obtained from the Medical Research Council of Zimbabwe and relevant authorities. Participation is voluntary, and informed consent will be obtained before enrolment. Participants may withdraw from the study at any time without penalty. All data will be collected electronically, stored securely, and managed in accordance with data protection and confidentiality requirements.

研究类型

介入性

注册 (估计的)

100

阶段

  • 不适用

联系人和位置

本节提供了进行研究的人员的详细联系信息，以及有关进行该研究的地点的信息。

学习联系方式

研究联系人备份

学习地点

  • 津巴布韦
    • Harare
      • Harare、Harare、津巴布韦、00000
        • University of Zimbabwe Partner Site (Online Recruitment)
        • 接触：

参与标准

研究人员寻找符合特定描述的人，称为资格标准。这些标准的一些例子是一个人的一般健康状况或先前的治疗。

资格标准

适合学习的年龄

  • 成人

接受健康志愿者

不

描述

Inclusion Criteria

Participants must meet all of the following criteria:

  1. Aged 18-25 years.
  2. Able to understand and read English.
  3. Previously participated in Stage 1 of the study and provided consent to be contacted regarding future research opportunities.
  4. Have access to a device (for example smartphone, tablet, or computer) and internet connectivity for intervention delivery.
  5. Report moderate levels of depression at baseline assessment.

Exclusion Criteria

Participants will be excluded if they:

  1. Are at high risk of suicide.
  2. Are currently experiencing a psychotic episode.
  3. Are currently experiencing interpersonal violence.

学习计划

本节提供研究计划的详细信息，包括研究的设计方式和研究的衡量标准。

研究是如何设计的？

设计细节

  • 主要用途：预防
  • 分配：随机化
  • 介入模型：并行分配
  • 屏蔽：无（打开标签）

武器和干预

参与者组/臂
干预/治疗
有源比较器：Psychoeducational Control

Intervention type: Behavioral Intervention (Psychoeducation)

Participants receive email-based psychoeducational materials at one point. The materials provide structured information on mental health and emotional well-being, including stress, anxiety, depression, and coping strategies. Participants are encouraged to read and reflect on the information during the study period.

The control condition does not include structured behavioural exercises or positive activity tasks.
行为的：Psychoeducational Control
Participants receive email-based psychoeducational materials about stress, anxiety, depression, and coping strategies over three weeks. No structured behavioural exercises or positive activity tasks are included.
实验性的：Email-Delivered Positive Affect Intervention

Participants allocated to the intervention group will receive a brief, structured, email-delivered positive affect intervention over a three-week period. Emails will be delivered twice weekly and will include psychoeducational content, guided reflection exercises, and activities designed to increase awareness of positive experiences and promote engagement in meaningful daily activities.

The intervention is organised into three sequential phases:

  • Week 1: Remember
  • Week 2: Contemplate
  • Week 3: Act

Across these phases, participants will identify personally meaningful sources of positive emotion, reflect on their relevance and feasibility within everyday life, and engage in positive activities aimed at enhancing positive affect and psychological well-being.
行为的：Email-Delivered Positive Affect Intervention

This intervention is a brief email-delivered positive affect program designed specifically for young adults in a low-resource setting and it uses a structured three-step process of remembering, contemplating, and acting on positive experiences to intentionally increase positive affect.

Unlike standard psychoeducational or symptom-focused mental health interventions, this program actively guides participants to identify personally meaningful sources of positive emotion and to translate them into daily behavioural activities. The intervention is fully automated and delivered entirely via email, making it highly scalable and accessible without the need for trained clinicians or face-to-face contact.

其他名称：
  • SPARK-Z

研究衡量的是什么？

主要结果指标

结果测量
措施说明
大体时间
Feasibility and Acceptability
大体时间：Baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 3)
Feasibility , usability and acceptability will be assessed using self-reported participation in email activities. Participant feedback on usability, satisfaction, and acceptability of the program will be collected at the post-intervention assessment using self-report questions.
Baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 3)

次要结果测量

结果测量
措施说明
大体时间
Changes in The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7
大体时间：Baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 3)
Changes in symptoms of anxiety are measured. The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7, Spitzer et al., 2006) is a self-report measure comprising 7 items about symptoms of anxiety. All items are answered on a 4-point Likert scale that ranges from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day). A higher score indicates more pronounced symptoms.
Baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 3)
Positive Affect (PANAS Positive Affect Subscale)
大体时间：Baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 3)
Changes in positive affect are measured using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS; Watson et al., 1988) positive affect subscale. The PANAS is a self-report measure comprising 20 items, with 10 items assessing positive affect and 10 items assessing negative affect. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (very slightly or not at all) to 5 (extremely). A higher score on the positive affect subscale indicates greater frequency of positive emotional experiences.
Baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 3)
Changes in The Patient Health Questionnaire-9
大体时间：Baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 3)
Changes in symptoms of depression are measured. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9, Kroenke et al., 2001) is a self-report measure comprising 9 items about symptoms of depression. All items are answered on a 4-point Likert scale that ranges from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day). A higher score indicates more pronounced symptoms.
Baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 3)
Changes in the Self-Stigma (SSOSH)
大体时间：Baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 3)
Changes in self-stigma associated with seeking psychological help are measured using the Self-Stigma of Seeking Help Scale (SSOSH; Vogel et al., 2006). The SSOSH is a self-report measure comprising 10 items assessing negative beliefs and attitudes about seeking professional psychological help. All items are answered on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). A higher score indicates greater self-stigma associated with seeking psychological help.
Baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 3)
Changes in The SIDAS
大体时间：Baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 3)
Changes in suicidal ideation are measured. The SIDAS (Van Spijker et al., 2014) is a self-report measure comprising 5 questions about suicidal ideation. All items are answered on a 10-point Likert scale that ranges from 0 (never, no control, not close at all, not at all) to 10 (always, full control, made an attempt, extremely). A higher score indicates more pronounced symptoms.
Baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 3)

合作者和调查者

在这里您可以找到参与这项研究的人员和组织。

赞助

Vilnius University

合作者

University of Zimbabwe

调查人员

  • 首席研究员：Evaldas Kazlauskas, PhD、Vilnius University
  • 首席研究员：Samson Mhizha, PhD、University of Zimbabwe

研究记录日期

这些日期跟踪向 ClinicalTrials.gov 提交研究记录和摘要结果的进度。研究记录和报告的结果由国家医学图书馆 (NLM) 审查，以确保它们在发布到公共网站之前符合特定的质量控制标准。

研究主要日期

学习开始 (估计的)

2026年7月1日

初级完成 (估计的)

2028年6月30日

研究完成 (估计的)

2028年8月1日

研究注册日期

首次提交

2026年6月26日

首先提交符合 QC 标准的

2026年6月26日

首次发布 (实际的)

2026年7月6日

研究记录更新

最后更新发布 (实际的)

2026年7月6日

上次提交的符合 QC 标准的更新

2026年6月26日

最后验证

2026年6月1日

更多信息

与本研究相关的术语

关键字

其他相关的 MeSH 术语

其他研究编号

  • MRCZ/A/3394

计划个人参与者数据 (IPD)

计划共享个人参与者数据 (IPD)？

是的

IPD 计划说明

De-identified individual participant data (IPD) will be shared upon reasonable request from qualified researchers. Data that may be shared include baseline and post-intervention questionnaire responses (e.g., PHQ-9, GAD-7, PANAS, SSOSH, SIDAS) and relevant demographic variables. All data will be fully anonymised before sharing to ensure participant anonymity. Requests will be reviewed by the study team and approved if they align with ethical approvals and data protection requirements. Data will be made available after publication of primary study results.

IPD 共享时间框架

Start Date:

After publication of the primary study results

End Date:

Until 5 years after study completion

IPD 共享访问标准

De-identified individual participant data (IPD) and supporting study materials will be available to qualified researchers upon reasonable request. Access will be granted to researchers who provide a methodologically sound proposal and agree to use the data only for approved research purposes.

Researchers may request access to de-identified participant-level data, including baseline and post-intervention questionnaire responses (e.g., PHQ-9, GAD-7, PANAS, SSOSH, SIDAS) and relevant demographic variables. Supporting materials such as the study protocol, statistical analysis plan, and data dictionary may also be shared.

Data access requests will be reviewed and approved by the principal investigator in accordance with ethical approvals from the Medical Research Council of Zimbabwe (MRCZ) and relevant oversight from the Ministry of Health and Child Care of Zimbabwe. Once approved, data will be shared securely via encrypted file transfer or password-protected data-sharing platforms.

IPD 共享支持信息类型

  • 研究方案
  • 树液
  • 国际碳纤维联合会

药物和器械信息、研究文件

研究美国 FDA 监管的药品

不

研究美国 FDA 监管的设备产品

不

此信息直接从 clinicaltrials.gov 网站检索，没有任何更改。如果您有任何更改、删除或更新研究详细信息的请求，请联系 register@clinicaltrials.gov. clinicaltrials.gov 上实施更改，我们的网站上也会自动更新.

订阅