StressNHPNCT04821037
Nurse Health Pilot: Feasibility and Acceptability of a Virtual ACT-intervention in Nurses During COVID-19
A study testing ACT in people with Stress, run by Prof. Dr. Andrew Gloster at 1 site in Switzerland.
Trial summary
Frontline nurses increasingly face challenges between executing their jobs to the best of their ability and caring for their own physical and mental health. Such a stressful and fast-changing work environment impacts the nurses' psychological wellbeing, resulting in high levels of stress and burnout, which in turn… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Stress
- What is being tested?
- ACT
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 10 participants
- Where
- 1 siteSwitzerland
- Study dates
- 1 Jun 2021to 1 Aug 2021
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- at least 18 years of age
- degree in nursing
- working 40% or higher in a team of nurses in the somatic area
- currently or previously in contact with COVID-19 patients
- working in Switzerland
Who cannot join
- working in non-somatic areas (e.g. psychiatry)
- working in non-hospital environments (e.g. home treatment)
- not owning an electronic device
- unable to understand and speak German
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
Fabio Coviello, B Sc. contact
Switzerland1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Faculty of Psychology, University of Basel
Basel, Canton of Basel-City, 4055
Eveline Frey, M Sc, eveline.frey@unibas.ch
About this study
Official title: Feasibility and Acceptability of a Virtual ACT-intervention in Nurses Working During the COVID-19 Pandemic (Pilot Study)
Frontline nurses increasingly face challenges between executing their jobs to the best of their ability and caring for their own physical and mental health. Such a stressful and fast-changing work environment impacts the nurses' psychological wellbeing, resulting in high levels of stress and burnout, which in turn negatively affects patient care and outcomes.
The aim of this study is to investigate whether a short virtual intervention, based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and adapted to caregivers, can lead to a reduction in psychological distress that may be associated with caregiving during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read more
The intervention will be held online in a group setting during two half-day workshops using a conference application (e.g. Zoom).
Note: This study is part of an international joint research project "Nurse Health" between the Faculty of Psychology (University of Basel) and the Nethersole School of Nursing (Chinese University of Hong Kong), funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), with the Leading House for the Bilateral Science and Technology Cooperation Programme with Asia at ETH Zürich (Project No. COV_09_062020).
- Conditions
- Stress
- Being tested
- ACT
- Keywords
- stress, resilience, wellbeing
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
ACTBehavioural
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| ACT | Experimental | A digitally-based ACT program will be conducted in two half-day workshops via meeting software (e.g. Zoom) consisting of:
1. mindfulness exercises, for stress reduction and to guide nurses to observe their painful thoughts and feelings that they are attempting to avoid;
2. ACT-metaphors, to let nurses realize the cost of struggling with psychological distress often create more distress;
3. experiential exercises, to guide nurses to notice their own experiences in providing nursing care throughout their nursing career and explore any special qualities;
4. explore the nurses' values with respect to different areas in their lives. Receives: Behavioral: ACT |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10)
Assessment of the perception of psychological stress (10 items)
Measured: 8 weeks
General Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7)
Assessment of the severity of anxiety (7 items)
Measured: 8 weeks
Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)
Assessment of the severity of depression (9 items)
Measured: 8 weeks
Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS)
Assessment of the severity of burnout (22 items)
Measured: 8 weeks
Mental Health Continuum Short Form (MHC-SF)
Assessment of perceived emotional wellbeing (14 items)
Measured: 8 weeks
Psychological Flexibility Questionnaire (PsyFlex)
Assessment of psychological flexibility (6 items)
Measured: 8 weeks
Valued Living Questionnaire (VLQ)
Assessment of the extent of valued living (10 items)
Measured: 8 weeks
Mueller and McCloskey Satisfaction Scale (MMSS)
Assessment of nurses' job satisfaction (31 items)
Measured: 8 weeks
Secondary outcomes (3)
Program Attendance/ Attrition Rate
Percentage of program attendance
Measured: 8 weeks
Homework Completion
Percentage of completed homework
Measured: 8 weeks
Program Satisfaction
Rate of nurses' satisfaction with the program
Measured: 8 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted29 Mar 2021
- Study start1 Jun 2021 (estimated)
- Primary completion1 Jul 2021 (estimated)
- Study completion1 Aug 2021 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for StressStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 10 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Prof. Dr. Andrew Gloster
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- State Secretariat for Education Research and Innovation, Switzerland, ETH Zurich (Switzerland)
- Responsible party
- Sponsor-investigator, Prof. Dr. Andrew Gloster, University of Basel
- Investigators
- Andrew T Gloster, Prof. Dr., Principal investigator, Division of Clinical Psychology & Intervention Science, University of Basel
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04821037
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- NHP
- Acronym
- NHP
- Status last verified
- May 2021
- First submitted
- 26 Mar 2021
- Last updated
- 2 Jun 2021
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
Frey E, Chong YY, Chien WT, Gloster AT. Improving nurses' mental health through an online Acceptance and Commitment Therapy intervention: an exploratory pilot study across two healthcare contexts. BMC Nurs. 2026 May 13;25(1):608. doi: 10.1186/s12912-026-04587-y.
PubMed 42129751
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 2 Jun 2021. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Feasibility and Acceptability of a Virtual ACT-intervention in Nurses Working During the COVID-19 Pandemic (Pilot Study)
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04821037
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- NHP / NHP
- Conditions
- Stress
- Keywords
- stress, resilience, wellbeing
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Unknown status
- Enrolment
- 10 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Prof. Dr. Andrew GlosterUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- State Secretariat for Education Research and Innovation, Switzerland, ETH Zurich (Switzerland)
- Study start
- 1 Jun 2021 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 1 Jul 2021 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 1 Aug 2021 (estimated)
- First posted
- 29 Mar 2021 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Frontline nurses increasingly face challenges between executing their jobs to the best of their ability and caring for their own physical and mental health. Such a stressful and fast-changing work environment impacts the nurses' psychological wellbeing, resulting in high levels of stress and burnout, which in turn negatively affects patient care and outcomes.
The aim of this study is to investigate whether a short virtual intervention, based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and adapted to caregivers, can lead to a reduction in psychological distress that may be associated with caregiving during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The intervention will be held online in a group setting during two half-day workshops using a conference application (e.g. Zoom).
Note: This study is part of an international joint research project "Nurse Health" between the Faculty of Psychology (University of Basel) and the Nethersole School of Nursing (Chinese University of Hong Kong), funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), with the Leading House for the Bilateral Science and Technology Cooperation Programme with Asia at ETH Zürich (Project No. COV_09_062020).
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| ACT | Experimental | Behavioral: ACTA digitally-based ACT program will be conducted in two half-day workshops via meeting software (e.g. Zoom) consisting of: 1. mindfulness exercises, for stress reduction and to guide nurses to observe their painful thoughts and feelings that they are attempting to avoid; 2. ACT-metaphors, to let nurses realize the cost of struggling with psychological distress often create more distress; 3. experiential exercises, to guide nurses to notice their own experiences in providing nursing care throughout their nursing career and explore any special qualities; 4. explore the nurses' values with respect to different areas in their lives. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- at least 18 years of age
- degree in nursing
- working 40% or higher in a team of nurses in the somatic area
- currently or previously in contact with COVID-19 patients
- working in Switzerland
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- working in non-somatic areas (e.g. psychiatry)
- working in non-hospital environments (e.g. home treatment)
- not owning an electronic device
- unable to understand and speak German
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| ACTAcceptance and Commitment Therapy | Behavioural | ACT |
Primary outcome
Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10)
Time frame: 8 weeks
Assessment of the perception of psychological stress (10 items)
General Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7)
Time frame: 8 weeks
Assessment of the severity of anxiety (7 items)
Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)
Time frame: 8 weeks
Assessment of the severity of depression (9 items)
Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS)
Time frame: 8 weeks
Assessment of the severity of burnout (22 items)
Mental Health Continuum Short Form (MHC-SF)
Time frame: 8 weeks
Assessment of perceived emotional wellbeing (14 items)
Psychological Flexibility Questionnaire (PsyFlex)
Time frame: 8 weeks
Assessment of psychological flexibility (6 items)
Valued Living Questionnaire (VLQ)
Time frame: 8 weeks
Assessment of the extent of valued living (10 items)
Mueller and McCloskey Satisfaction Scale (MMSS)
Time frame: 8 weeks
Assessment of nurses' job satisfaction (31 items)
3 secondary outcomes
Program Attendance/ Attrition Rate
Time frame: 8 weeks
Homework Completion
Time frame: 8 weeks
Program Satisfaction
Time frame: 8 weeks
Results and safety
Results are not available in the source record.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 2 Jun 2021.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 42129751Frey E, Chong YY, Chien WT, Gloster AT. Improving nurses' mental health through an online Acceptance and Commitment Therapy intervention: an exploratory pilot study across two healthcare contexts. BMC Nurs. 2026 May 13;25(1):608. doi: 10.1186/s12912-026-04587-y.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Fabio Coviello, B Sc. contact
Andrew T Gloster, Prof. Dr. principal investigator
Division of Clinical Psychology & Intervention Science, University of Basel
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing ACT in people with Stress, run by Prof. Dr. Andrew Gloster at 1 site in Switzerland.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: status not confirmed, as of the sponsor's last update on 2 Jun 2021. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Switzerland. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
Results are not available in the source record.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Eveline Frey, M Sc. (+41 78 741 41 19, eveline.frey@unibas.ch), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) (time frame: 8 weeks). The study lists 8 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT04821037, which also lists 1 linked publication.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 2 Jun 2021.