Stepped Care Treatment for Common Mental Disorders Among Foreign Domestic Helpers

Depression, Anxiety Clinical Trial

Official title:

Stepped Care Treatment for Common Mental Disorders Among Foreign Domestic Helpers: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Not yet recruiting

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT06461637
• Other study ID #: PSY034
• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: July 2024
• Est. completion date: June 2025

Study information

• Verified date: June 2024
• Source: Chinese University of Hong Kong
• Contact: Dan Paolo R Yema
• Phone: 3943 6575
• Email: dryema[@]link.cuhk.edu.hk
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The goal of this pilot randomized controlled trials is to assess the effectiveness of the stepped care approach in treating common mental disorders among foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong and improve their access to evidence-based psychological treatments.

Participants will be required to complete an online consent form. Then, around 240 eligible participants aged 18-65 years with depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 [PHQ-9] ≥ 10) and/or anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 [GAD-7] ≥ 8) will be randomly assigned to the intervention and control group in a ratio of 1:1. Participants assigned in the intervention group will recieved the stepped-care mental health intervention while those assigned to the control group will receive care-as-usual. Assessments of depression, anxiety, and insomnia symptoms, as well as work and social adjustment, quality of life, and treatment credibility and acceptability will be conducted at baseline, week 7 (after Step 1), week 14 (after Step 2), week 21 (after Step 3), and week 33 (12-week follow-up). An assessment of barriers to accessing care will also be collected before treatment.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Enrollment: 240
• Est. completion date: June 2025
• Est. primary completion date: April 2025
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years to 65 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Foreign domestic helpers aged 18 to 65 years;

2. Able to read, write, and speak in English;

3. Have a PHQ-9 score =10 and/or GAD-7 =8, indicating caseness or a score that can be classified as a clinical case;

4. Have an internet-enabled device (e.g., laptop computer, smartphone, or tablet);

5. willingness to provide informed consent and comply with the trial protocol.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Meeting DSM-5 diagnosis of a severe mental illness including psychotic or bipolar disorders as determined by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI-7);

2. Having a medical condition or neurocognitive disorder that may prevent lifestyle modifications based on the research team's clinical knowledge and experience (e.g., at high risk of fall or dietary change is not suitable as recommended by physicians or dietitians);

3. Current serious suicidal risk as assessed by PHQ-9 Item 9 score >2 (referral information to professional mental health services will be provided);

4. Hospitalization or pregnancy;

5. Current participation in any other clinical trial(s);

6. Current psychological treatment for CMD either psychotherapy or unstable medication in the past 2 months.

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Depression
• Depression, Anxiety
• Mental Disorders
• Psychotic Disorders

Intervention

Behavioral:
• Stepped Care Mental Health for Foreign Domestic Helpers (SCMH-FDH)
The SCMH-FDH intervention consists of 4 steps. Step 1 involves a self-help intervention (through 12 mental health booklets) delivered in 6 sessions and an online peer support group. Those who did not respond to Step 1 will be referred to Step 2 (group-based resilience workshop). The intervention will be also be delivered in 6 weekly sessions lasting 1-1.5-hours. Those who did not respond to Step 2 will be referred to Step 3 (guided self-help cognitive behavioral therapy, CBT) with guidance from a trained therapist. Self-help materials will be provided. The sessions are spread out over six weeks, with each sessions lasting 30-45 minutes. Those who did not respond to Step 3 will be referred to Step 4 (high intensity interventions provided by mental health professionals). Stepping up is determined by the IAPT-minimum data set. If assessment scores after previous treatment exceeds the defined threshold (PHQ-9 = 10 or GAD-7 = 8), then participants need to step up to the next intervention.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
n/a

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Chinese University of Hong Kong

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Change in the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)	A 9-item questionnaire used for screening, diagnosing, monitoring, and measuring the severity of depressive symptoms. It is rated using a 4-point Likert scale from not at all (0), several days (1), more than half the days (2), and nearly every day (3).	Baseline, week 7 (After Step 1), week 14 (after Step 2), week 21 (after Step 3), and week 33 (12-week follow-up)
Primary	Change in the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7)	A 7-item questionnaire assessing the severity of anxiety over the past two weeks. It is rated using a 4-point Likert scale not at all (0), several days (1), more than half the days (2), and nearly every day (3).	Baseline, week 7 (After Step 1), week 14 (after Step 2), week 21 (after Step 3), and week 33 (12-week follow-up)
Primary	Change in the Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS)	A 5-item instrument used for assessing work, social and leisure functioning as well as relationship interaction and home management. It is rated on a 9-point scale from 0 (not at all a problem) to 8 (very severely impaired), with combined score ranging from 0 - 40.	Baseline, week 7 (After Step 1), week 14 (after Step 2), week 21 (after Step 3), and week 33 (12-week follow-up)
Secondary	Change in the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI)	A 7-item scale designed to evaluate perceived insomnia severity, distress and functional impairment associated with insomnia. It is rated using a 5-point Likert scale from none (0), mild (1), moderate (2), severe (3), and very severe (4) for questions 1 to 3, and very satisfied (0), satisfied (1), moderately satisfied (2), dissatisfied (3), and very dissatisfied (4) for questions 4 to 7.	Baseline, week 7 (After Step 1), week 14 (after Step 2), week 21 (after Step 3), and week 33 (12-week follow-up)
Secondary	Change in the Credibility-Expectancy Questionnaire (CEQ)	A 6-item questionnaire assessing treatment credibility, acceptability/satisfaction, and expectations for success. Two subscales, treatment credibility and outcome expectation, make up the instrument. It is scored on a 9-point Likert scale ranging from not at all (1), somewhat (5) and very much (9).	Baseline, week 7 (After Step 1), week 14 (after Step 2), and week 21 (after Step 3)
Secondary	Change in the Short-Form Six-Dimension (SF-6D)	A 6-item instrument measuring health-related quality of life, including physical functioning, role limitation, social functioning, bodily pain, mental health, and vitality.	Baseline, week 7 (After Step 1), week 14 (after Step 2), week 21 (after Step 3), and week 33 (12-week follow-up)
Secondary	Change in the Treatment Acceptability/Adherence Scale (TAAS)	A 10-item questionnaire that is rated by a seven-point Likert scale from 1 (disagree strongly) to 7 (agree strongly). It aims at evaluating treatment acceptability and anticipated treatment adherence of clients in the aspects of credibility, expectancy, and distress.	Baseline, week 7 (After Step 1), week 14 (after Step 2), and week 21 (after Step 3)
Secondary	Assessment of the Barriers to Access to Care Evaluation Scale (BACE)	A 30-item scale used to identify key barriers experienced by people accessing mental health services. It is rated using a 4-point Likert scale from not at all (0), a little (1), quite a lot (2), and a lot (3).	Baseline