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NCT Number: NCT07022561

Social Prescribing for Advancing Resilience in Kids: A Pilot Study of Social Prescribing

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if the Social Prescription (SP) intervention helps improve mental health and wellbeing in youth. It will also assess the feasibility and acceptability of implementing SP in a community setting. The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Is the SP intervention feasible and acceptable for youth, caregivers, and staff? * Does the SP intervention improve mental health outcomes, reduce stress, and increase wellbeing and social connectedness in youth?

Researchers will compare the Social Prescription (SP) intervention to an education control group to evaluate its effectiveness in improving youth mental health and wellbeing.

Participants will:

* Be randomized to receive either the SP intervention or be placed in an education control group * Complete wellbeing and mental health questionnaires at the beginning of the study and again after 12 weeks * Participate in qualitative interviews to share their experiences after participating in SP

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Key information

Conditions

Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing Feasibility and Acceptability of the Social Prescribing Program

Age range

11 year–17 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • between 11-17 years of age
  • on the waitlist for mental health services
  • are not an immediate safety threat to themselves or others as assessed by the HEADS ED questionnaire

Exclusion criteria

  • Children < 11 years old
  • Adolescents > 17 years old

Treatment and study plan

Social Prescribing

Behavioral

A social prescribing intervention is a non-clinical approach to improving health and wellbeing by connecting individuals to community-based services and activities that address social, emotional, and practical needs. These may include arts programs, physical activity, peer support, volunteering, or nature-based activities. Facilitated by a link worker or navigator, social prescribing is tailored to the individual and aims to enhance mental health, reduce isolation, and support overall wellness beyond traditional medical care.

Primary outcomes

  1. Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale

    Time frame: From enrollment to end of treatment or control period at 12 weeks.

    The Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) is a self-report questionnaire that measures symptoms of anxiety and depression in children and adolescents aged 8 to 18.

  2. Perceived Stress Scale

    Time frame: From enrollment to end of treatment or control period at 12 weeks.

    The Perceived Stress Scale is a widely used to help understand how different situations affect our feelings and our perceived stress.

  3. Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale

    Time frame: From enrollment to end of treatment or control period at 12 weeks

    The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS) was developed to enable the monitoring of mental wellbeing in the general population and the evaluation of projects, programmes and policies which aim to improve mental wellbeing.

  4. Social Connectedness Scale

    Time frame: From enrollment to end of treatment or control period at 12 weeks

    The Social Connectedness Scale measures the extent to which individuals feel connected to others in their social environment.

  5. Student Resilience Survey

    Time frame: From enrollment to end of treatment or control period at 12 weeks

    Student Resilience Survey measuring students' perceptions of their individual characteristics as well as protective factors embedded in the environment:

Secondary outcomes

  1. Acceptability of Intervention Measure

    Time frame: From enrollment to end of treatment or control period at 12 weeks

    The Acceptability of Intervention Measure evaluates how agreeable or satisfactory an intervention is perceived to be by participants or implementers.

  2. Intervention Appropriateness Measure

    Time frame: From enrollment to end of treatment or control period at 12 weeks

    The Intervention Appropriateness Measure assesses the perceived relevance or suitability of an intervention for a specific setting or population.

  3. Feasibility of Intervention Measure

    Time frame: From enrollment to end of treatment or control period at 12 weeks

    The Feasibility of Intervention Measure gauges how practical and possible it is to implement an intervention within a given setting.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Olivia MacLeod, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

Susan Bennett, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

(613) 608-6601

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Ottawa

Other

Collaborators

  • Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute

Registry information

Official study title

Social Prescribing for Advancing Resilience in Kids (SPARK): A Pilot Study of Social Prescribing for Children and Youth Mental Health in Canada

Acronym: SPARK

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Jun 15, 2025
Registry last updated
Jun 15, 2025

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.