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Recruiting NCT07231406

Narrative Therapy Among Young People With Moderate Level of Mental Distress in Hong Kong

No phase Interventional Mental Distress

For patients and families

In plain language

An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.

What is being studied
The protocol lists: Narrative Therapy.
Who it may be relevant to
Registry conditions: Mental Distress. Basic parameters: 12 years — 24 years · All.
What needs checking
Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
Where it takes place
Hong Kong
Next step
Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →

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Official title

A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial of Narrative Therapy Among Young People With Moderate Level of Mental Distress in Hong Kong

Overview

This cluster randomized controlled trial (cRCT) aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a narrative therapy (NT) intervention in (i) reducing mental distress, depressive symptoms, and anxiety, as well as (ii) enhancing perceived control and fostering a stronger sense of self among at-risk youth in Hong Kong. Participants are youths with moderate mental health concerns, indicated by K6 scores ranging from 11 to 14. The study involves seven clusters, each based on community hubs, which will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group or a wait-list control group. Clusters assigned to the intervention group will receive six face-to-face sessions led by trained youth workers. Control clusters will receive the same intervention after the initial follow-up period. Participants will be evaluated at baseline, post-intervention, and one-month follow-up. An interim analysis is built for the sake of evaluation of the collected data from the ongoing trial, in which the primary research question is addressed, and which has the potential for modifying the conduct of the study. Furthermore, a qualitative follow-up will be conducted after the trial, involving both participants and the workers delivering the NT intervention. This qualitative component aims to gather feedback on participants' experiences, and inform potential revisions to enhance future implementation. It is hypothesized that youths receiving the NT intervention will show significantly greater improvements in perceived control and sense of self, along with reductions in mental distress, as well as depressive and anxiety symptoms, compared to those in the wait-list control group.

Interventions

  • Behavioral Narrative Therapy
    In Hong Kong, deeply ingrained norms and expectations shape each stage of life. As young people navigate their growth, they are constantly influenced by mainstream narratives stemming from sociocultural traditions, family, educators, peers, or social media. These narratives often define socially approved notions of "good" versus "bad," "meaningful" versus "meaningless," and "successful" versus "failing." Many youths may not fully realize how these dominant discourses subtly influence their life

Primary outcome measures

  • Psychological Distress [Time frame: Baseline, 6-week, and 10-week]
  • Depression and anxiety Symptoms [Time frame: Baseline, 6-week, and 10-week]
  • Perceived Control / Self-efficacy [Time frame: Baseline, 6-week, and 10-week]
Secondary outcome measures (8)
  • Narrative Identity [Time frame: Baseline, 6-week, and 10-week]
  • Perceived Social Support [Time frame: Baseline, 6-week, and 10-week]
  • Loneliness [Time frame: Baseline, 6-week, and 10-week]
  • Resilience [Time frame: Baseline, 6-week, and 10-week]
  • Rumination [Time frame: Baseline, 6-week, and 10-week]
  • Self-stigma [Time frame: Baseline, 6-week, and 10-week]
  • Hopefulness / Hopelessness [Time frame: Baseline, 6-week, and 10-week]
  • Service Utilization [Time frame: Baseline, 6-week, and 10-week]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

  • JC LevelMind @ Community users at risk for mental distress (Tier 2), with K6 scores ranging from 11 to 14
  • Aged between 12 and 24 years
  • Sufficiently proficient in Chinese to comprehend verbal instructions
  • Able to provide written informed consent (parental consent for participant aged 12-17)

Exclusion criteria

  • Known diagnosis of intellectual disability
  • Organic brain disorder
  • Established psychiatric diagnosis
  • Current substance abuse
  • Receiving other structured psychological therapies such as module-based psychological therapy, mentalization-based therapy, low-intensity online interventions, cognitive-behavioral therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia, mindfulness, or art-informed therapy within the hub setting or any others outside the hub setting
  • Presence of current or active suicidal ideation or attempts

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: No

Study design

Allocation
Randomized
Model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Open label
Primary purpose
Treatment

Study locations

Hong Kong · 1 center
  • University of Hong Kong — Hong Kong

Identifiers

NCT: NCT07231406 · 20250818-006-000

Primary sources (government registries)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗