Volunteer phone calls may ease loneliness in seniors
NCT ID NCT07283549
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested whether trained volunteers (retirees and young people) could help reduce loneliness in adults aged 65+ by delivering mindfulness or behavioral activation exercises over the phone. 251 older adults in Hong Kong took part. The goal was to see if these simple, low-cost approaches could improve mental health and reduce feelings of loneliness.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- behavioral activation and mindfulness delivered by phone
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a low-cost, scalable way to ease loneliness in older adults using trained volunteers.
- What could go wrong
- This is a completed trial with 251 participants, but results may not apply to other cultures or settings. The interventions are non-medical and effects may be modest.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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251 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Dec 2024
- Finished
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Jul 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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Children (under 18), adults (18 to 64) and older adults (65 and over)
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * 65 years older and above Exclusion Criteria: \-
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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The Education University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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