Music Program for Hong Kong Adolescents: Improving Emotion Regulation and Reducing Depression, Anxiety, and Loneliness

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This study is a clinical trial that aims to test and validate a music-based program called Tuned In in helping adolescents in Hong Kong improve their mental well-being. The researchers want to find out if the program can help participants enhance their ability to regulate their emotions, reduce mood symptoms and feelings of loneliness. Participants in the study will be randomly assigned to either the group that receives the program right away (intervention group) or the group that waits for four weeks before receiving the program (wait list group). They will take part in a group-based weekly program for four weeks. Additionally, they will be asked to complete questionnaires before and after the program to see if there are any changes in their mental well-being. The program will be delivered by a facilitator with a psychology background, and a registered music therapist. By addressing the gaps in mental health interventions for young people in Hong Kong, this study aims to contribute to the development of effective strategies to support their emotional well-being.

Official Title
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Using Music to Promote Young People's Emotion Regulation and Reduce Their Depressive and Anxious Symptoms and Loneliness: A Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial

Conditions
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Emotion Regulation, Depressive Symptoms, Anxiety, Loneliness

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Tuned In


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: self-report as having problems with low mood, anxiety or loneliness score 3 or above on the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), which indicates psychological distress.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 16 Years
Maximum Age: 19 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
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Interventional Model Description: Intervention group: Receive the music-based program, and complete the survey before- and after- the program. Waitlist group: Invited to complete the survey before- and after the 4-week waiting period. Then the waitlist group will also be offered the program, and invited to complete an optional post-program survey.
Masking: Double


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Intervention group<br>Receive the music-based program once a week for 4 weeks, each session is 60 to 90 minutes, and participants will complete the survey before- and after- the program. | Behavioral: Tuned In<br>* The Tuned In programme is based on Russell's (1980) circumplex model of emotion, which categories emotions along the two dimensions of valence and arousal. Through psychoeducation and group discussions, participants in the programme first learn how to categorise their emotions in terms of intensity (i.e., arousal level) and positivity (i.e., valence). They then reflect on and develop a list of songs that they relate to personally and use them to increase or decrease the intensity and positivity of their emotions. In other words, the participants practise monitoring their emotional state and use music to help them modify how they feel. The programme will be conducted by a facilitator with a psychology background, and a registered music therapist.<br>|
| No Intervention: Wait-list group<br>Complete the survey before- and after the 4-week waiting period. Then the waitlist group will also be offered the program, and invited to complete an optional post-program survey | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Emotion Regulation Skills | To assess difficulties, strategies, and confidence in emotion regulation, we will use the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (Liu et al., 2015), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation scale, and select items from Dingle and Carter's (2017) program evaluation tool. | Questionnaires will be administered before the start of the program, and immediately after the program (intervention group) or after 4 weeks of wait period (wait-list group) | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mood symptoms | The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (Moussa et al., 2001; DASS-21) will be used to measure mood symptoms | Questionnaires will be administered before the start of the program, and immediately after the program (intervention group) or after 4 weeks of wait period (wait-list group) | 
| Loneliness | The Hong Kong version of the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale (Leung et al., 2008) will be used to measure loneliness | Questionnaires will be administered before the start of the program, and immediately after the program (intervention group) or after 4 weeks of wait period (wait-list group) | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Adolescence, Youth, Emotion Regulation, Music, Loneliness, Mental Health, Psychoeducation