NCT07118774

The Young Ambassadors Supporting Caregivers Program

The Effect of the Young Ambassadors Supporting Caregivers (YASC) Program: A Dual Randomized Controlled Trial

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 120 (estimated)
• Sponsor: The University of Hong Kong · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This RCT will provide preliminary evidence on effective training for young adult volunteers to support older adult caregivers, addressing Hong Kong's aging crisis and caregiver burden. The objectives of this study include: 1. To examine the feasibility and acceptability of the interventions in Hong Kong's cultural context. 2. To evaluate the effects of three trainings (mindfulness/compassion, caregiving skills, communication skills) on young adult volunteers' preparedness for caregiving, meaning of life, and civic engagement. 3. To assess the impact of volunteer services on caregivers' depression, anxiety, and caregiver burden.

Detailed description

This study will train 60 university students to provide volunteer services to 60 paired caregivers. The 60 university students will be assiged to receive three types of training as intervention arms: * Intervention 1: Mindfulness and Compassion Training (n=20) o Training: 12 hours over 6 weeks (2-hour weekly sessions) teaching mindfulness meditation (e.g., loving-kindness, body scan) and compassion practices (e.g., self-compassion exercises). Content culturally adapted with Buddhist-influenced terminology and practices resonant with Hong Kong's context. * Intervention 2: Caregiving Skills Training (n=20) o Training: 12 hours over 6 weeks (2-hour weekly sessions) teaching OT (e.g., daily living support), PT (e.g., safe transfers), ST (e.g., communication aids), and RN (e.g., vital signs monitoring) skills, tailored to caregivers' needs. * Control: Communication Skills Training (n=20) o Training: 12 hours over 6 weeks (2-hour weekly sessions) focusing on active listening, empathy, and basic conversational skills, without specific mindfulness or caregiving techniques. After the training, the students will be paired with 60 caregivers of older adults to apply what they have learned during the training to offer services to reduce the psychological burden of the caregivers.

Conditions

• Psychological Well-being
• Caregiver Burden of Caregivers

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Behavioral: mindfulness and compassion training	Parallel randomized controlled trial
BEHAVIORAL	Behavioral: caregiver skills training	Parallel randomized controlled trial
BEHAVIORAL	Behavioral: Communication skills training	Parallel randomized controlled trial

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-10-01
• Primary completion: 2026-06-30
• Completion: 2026-06-30
• First posted: 2025-08-12
• Last updated: 2025-08-12