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NCT Number: NCT06532305

Helping Overcome Pressure and Exhaustion: Empowerment Classes for Southeast Asian Migrant Care Workers

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.

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Key information

Conditions

Heart Rate Variability Behavior Behavioral Symptoms Brain Diseases Burnout Burnout, Psychological Central Nervous System Diseases Dementia Depression Empowerment Mental Disorders Nervous System Diseases Neurocognitive Disorders Social Behavior Stress, Psychological

Age range

18 year–99 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital

Taipei, 1002, Taiwan

Location contact

I-Ming Chen, MD, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

886-2-23123456 ext. 267991

I-Ming Chen, MD, PhD

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Yu-Hsuan Lin, MD, PhD

SUB_INVESTIGATOR

About this study

Study Design:

The study employs a randomized crossover design involving 120 Indonesian care workers in Taiwan. Participants will be randomly assigned to two groups. The first group will undergo a three-month empowerment course initially, while the second group will participate in social gatherings. After three months, the interventions will be switched between the groups. The empowerment classes will cover three core areas: mental health and stress management, dementia care skills, and language and communication skills, tailored to the workers' practical needs and cultural backgrounds.

Duration:

The study will last for 12 months, starting from July 26, 2024, to July 25, 2025.

Data Collection:

Participants 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.

Expected Outcomes:

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.

Ethical Considerations:

Participation in this study is voluntary, and participants can withdraw at any time without negative consequences. All personal data will be kept confidential and used solely for research purposes.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Indonesian migrant care workers responsible for caring for patients in homes or care institutions.
  • Aged 18 years or older.

Exclusion criteria

  • Individuals unable to read the informed consent form or questionnaires in Indonesian.

Treatment and study plan

HOPE empowerment classes

Behavioral

A three-month empowerment course.

Primary outcomes

  1. Burnout levels

    Time frame: 12 months

    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.

  2. Emotional Stress

    Time frame: 12 months

    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.

  3. Heart Rate Variability

    Time frame: 12 months

    Heart Rate Variability measurements will be used to assess changes in autonomic nervous system function, providing an objective measure of stress levels.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Cultural Adaptation

    Time frame: 12 months

    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.

  2. Language Proficiency

    Time frame: 12 months

    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.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

National Taiwan University Hospital

Other

Registry information

Official study title

The Effects of Empowerment Classes on Burnout Syndrome and Emotional Stress Among Southeast Asian Migrant Care Workers: A Randomized Crossover Study

Acronym: HOPE

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Aug 1, 2024
Registry last updated
Aug 6, 2024

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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