Helping Overcome Pressure and Exhaustion: Empowerment Classes for Southeast Asian Migrant Care Workers
NCT Number: NCT06532305
Acronym: HOPE
Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
Phases: NA
Conditions: Heart Rate Variability|Burnout|Depression
Interventions: BEHAVIORAL: HOPE empowerment classes
Sponsor: National Taiwan University Hospital
Sex: ALL
Age: ADULT, OLDER_ADULT
Enrollment: 120
Study Design: Allocation: RANDOMIZED|Intervention Model: CROSSOVER|Masking: NONE|Primary Purpose: PREVENTION
Start Date: 2024-07-26
Completion Date: 2025-07-25
Locations: Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, 1002, Taiwan

Summary:
As Taiwan's population ages, Southeast Asian migrant care workers are widely employed to fill the care labor gap. These workers often face symptoms of burnout and emotional stress due to long working hours and high-pressure environments. This study aims to evaluate the effects of empowerment classes on reducing burnout symptoms and emotional stress among Southeast Asian migrant care workers. The empowerment classes are designed based on expert consensus and cover three core areas: mental health and stress management, dementia care skills, and language and communication skills. The curriculum is tailored to the practical needs and cultural backgrounds of the migrant workers. A total of 120 Indonesian care workers will be randomly assigned to two groups. The first group will undergo a three-month empowerment course, while the second group will initially participate in social gatherings. Afterward, the groups will switch interventions. The study will last for 12 months, and each participant will complete seven assessments, including heart rate variability measurements and online questionnaires. The questionnaires will include the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2), the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), the Life and Cultural Adaptation Questionnaire, and the Language Proficiency Questionnaire. The study anticipates that the empowerment classes will reduce burnout symptoms and emotional stress, while enhancing cultural adaptation and language proficiency among migrant care workers.

Primary Outcome Measures: Burnout levels, Measured using the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI). The primary outcome will be the change in burnout levels from baseline to the end of each intervention period. Burnout will be assessed in three domains: personal burnout, work-related burnout, and client-related burnout. Higher scores on the CBI indicate a higher level of burnout, meaning worse outcomes in terms of burnout severity. The range of CBI is 0-100., 12 months|Emotional Stress, Measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2). The outcome will be the change in emotional stress levels from baseline to the end of each intervention period. A PHQ-2 score ranges from 0-6. Higher scores on the PHQ-2 indicate greater severity of depressive symptoms, meaning worse outcomes in terms of emotional stress., 12 months|Heart Rate Variability, Heart Rate Variability measurements will be used to assess changes in autonomic nervous system function, providing an objective measure of stress levels., 12 months
Secondary Outcome Measures: Cultural Adaptation, Measured using the Life and Cultural Adaptation Questionnaire. The secondary outcome will be the change in cultural adaptation levels from baseline to the end of each intervention period. There is a total of 11 questions that inquire about the respondent's adaptation to daily life, work, and culture in Taiwan. Its total score ranges from 11-66. Each item is rated on a scale of 1 to 6, with higher scores indicating better adaptation., 12 months|Language Proficiency, Assessed using the Language Proficiency Questionnaire. The secondary outcome will be the change in language proficiency levels from baseline to the end of each intervention period. There is a total of 7 questions primarily aimed at understanding the current usage of Mandarin and Taiwanese. Each item is rated on a scale of 1 to 6, with higher scores indicating better communication skills in the respective language. The total score ranges from 7 to 42., 12 months