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Enrolling by Invitation

NCT Number: NCT07332624

Instant Message-delivered Personalised Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Persons With Mild Cognitive Impairment

This pilot study aims to develop an automated instant message-delivered intervention (i.e., EMI) for people with mild cognitive impairment, and to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of the intervention.

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Key information

Conditions

Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) Cognition Disorders Cognitive Dysfunction Mental Disorders Neurocognitive Disorders

Age range

50 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

The University of Hong Kong

Hong Kong

About this study

  • Message contents: The message content library will consist of two parts: 1. brief mild cognitive impairment messages (optional), and 2. acceptance and commitment therapy messages (mandatory).
  • Message delivery
  • Regular messages: The messages in the two parts will be sent regularly to each participant. As personalisation is a core process subject to behavioural changes, the content, frequency, and timing of the messages will be determined based on participants' preferences. To save labour and increase efficiency, we will develop a message 'scheduler' program. We will pre-set the message scheduler, which will then automatically send out content to participants according to their preferences. The development of the program is highly useful particularly in cases which participants prefer to receive messages during non-office hours.
  • Therapist-led real-time support messages (chat-type): Chat-based support will be given to the participants as an extension of the regular messages. However, the participants will be informed beforehand that the RA will only play a supportive role and will not provide formal care. The number of the chat messages will not be limited, but the real-time support messages will only be provided during working hours (i.e., 9am-6pm) on weekdays to limit the RA's workload.

Control Group:

The control group will receive instant messages about mental health management from HKSAR Government website (https://www.shallwetalk.hk/en/mental-well-being/mental-well-being-is-related-to-you/), which is open to the public.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 50 years; HK-MoCA score range from 18 to 25; MBI-C ≥7; Able to read and communicate in Chinese (Cantonese or Putonghua); Able to use the text or voice messaging function on a smartphone.

Exclusion criteria

  • Diagnosis of dementia; Diagnosis of psychiatric disease; Currently participating in any type of psychological or behavioural intervention for NPSs

Treatment and study plan

automated instant message-guided neuropsychiatric symptoms management

Behavioral

Participants in intervention group will receive the EMI for 8 weeks. Based on the steps of mobile message development recommended by Abroms, et al., we will develop a message content library and protocol for EMI delivery.

Primary outcomes

  1. MBI-C scores

    Time frame: 8 weeks

    The primary outcome will be MBI-C scores to assess NPSs. A higher MBI-C scores will indicate a higher level of neuropsychiatric symptoms.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Depressive symptoms (PHQ-9)

    Time frame: 8 weeks

    Each item was scored on a 4-point scale (0 "not at all" to 3 "nearly every day"). The total score is calculated by summing up the score of all items (range 0-27). High scores indicate worse depressive symptoms.

  2. Anxiety symptoms (GAD-7)

    Time frame: 8 weeks

    A 7-item scale with score ranging from 0 to 21, higher scores indicate higher severity of anxiety symptom

  3. Cognitive functions (HK-MoCA)

    Time frame: 8 weeks

    The total score is calculated by summing up the score of all items. Higher scores indicate better cognitive function.

  4. Acceptance of negative emotions and valued-based actions (AAQ-II)

    Time frame: 8 weeks

    AAQ-II is a measure of psychological flexibility. Each item is rated on a 7-point scale from 1 = never true to 7 = always true. Scores range from 1-49. A lower score indicates a lower level of psychological flexibility.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

The University of Hong Kong

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Instant Message-delivered Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Persons Living With Mild Cognitive Impairment: a Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial

Acronym: iact

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Jan 12, 2026
Registry last updated
Jan 12, 2026

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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