Feasibility of Online Based Mindfulness Interventions During COVID-19 Outbreak

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The investigators had designed weekly mindfulness sessions (details see intervention below), which is free-of-charge and will be made available to general public who feel distressed during the outbreak of COVID-19. Face-to-face delivery of mindfulness interventions was not possible due to mandatory quarantine. The investigators hypothesize that this intervention is feasible and acceptable by the participants. As secondary outcomes, the investigators also hypothesize that the intervention can reduce stress, depressive and anxiety symptoms and enhance participants' sense of coherence This will be a quasi-experimental study. Participants will be invited to fill in an online informed consent and questionnaire around 2 days before each mindfulness online session and another set of questionnaire immediately after each session (see outcome measures). Participants will be identified by their e-mail and therefore serial data could be obtained.

Official Title
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Feasibility and Acceptability of Online Based Mindfulness Interventions to Relieve Distress During COVID-19 Outbreak in a Chinese Population: a Proof-of-concept Trial

Conditions
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Stress

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: online mindfulness group


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: at least 18 years of old, able to speak and communicate in Cantonese can read Chinese or English (because they will be asked to fill in an online questionnaire). Exclusion Criteria: actively suicidal, currently abusing restricted psychoactive substances diagnosed to have an active psychotic disorder and self-reported active psychotic symptoms (including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and dementia).

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Interventional Model Description: participants receiving online mindfulness session(s)
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: online mindfulness group<br> | Behavioral: online mindfulness group<br>* Each weekly mindfulness session will last 45 to 60 minutes and will be held on an online platform (e.g. Zoom) via a livestream video. It will consist of short mindfulness exercise(s) of 10-30 minutes, including mindful tasting, mindful stretching, mindful walking, and body scan followed by group discussion to share, explore and make sense of the meditative experience. The intervention will be held in Cantonese.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| rate of recruitment | the rate of recruitment to recruit participants | from recruitment to end of study, up to 1 year | 
| rate of attendence | the number of attendance to the mindfulness online group | from recruitment to end of study, up to 1 year | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) | Depression, anxiety and stress will be measured using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), which was validated in Chinese population with high internal consistency. The 21-item DASS-21 has three subscales designed to measure depression, anxiety and stress, with each subscale containing 7 items. Participants are required to rate each statement in DASS-21 using a 4-point Likert scale from did not apply to me at all to applied to me very much or most of the time in the prior one week. Higher scores represent higher level of psychological distress. | on recruitment, after each online mindfulness sessions (weekly) until end of study, up to 1 year | 
| Sense of Coherence Scale | Sense of Coherence (SOC) will be assessed by the 13-item Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC-13) based on Antonovsky (1987)'s measurement of the comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness of a person's life events . Participants will rate each statement in SOC-13 on a 7-point Likert scale from very often to very seldom or never. SOC-13 has been validated in Chinese population with high internal consistency. The higher the score, the higher the sense of coherence | on recruitment, after each online mindfulness sessions (weekly) until end of study, up to 1 year |