Mental Health Wellness 1NCT05267132
Adolescent Acts of Kindness Intervention With Reflection
A study testing Other-Focused Acts of Kindness Intervention with Reflection, Other-Focused Acts of Kindness Intervention and Daily Reports in people with Mental Health Wellness 1, run by University of California, Los Angeles at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
Adolescents will complete a 4-week intervention, during which they will either complete a kind act for others, complete a kind act for others with a reflection component, or report their daily activities three days per week. Psychological measures will be indexed before and after the intervention. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 14 to 17 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Mental Health Wellness 1
- What is being tested?
- Other-Focused Acts of Kindness Intervention with Reflection, Other-Focused Acts of Kindness Intervention and Daily Reports
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 119 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 24 Aug 2023to 1 Jun 2024
- 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 14 to 17 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child
Who may be able to join
- Between the ages of 14-17
Who cannot join
- None
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Adolescent Development Lab
Los Angeles, California, 90066
About this study
Adolescents will complete a 4-week intervention, during which they will either complete a kind act for others, complete a kind act for others with a reflection component, or report their daily activities three days per week. Psychological measures will be indexed before and after the intervention.
Read the detailed description
There is growing policy and scientific interest in promoting the positive benefits of kindness and prosociality. This is particularly true for adolescents, whose psychological and social maturation offers fertile ground in which kindness can be seeded early in life with potentially positive effects on their psychological health. Much of the existing efforts have focused on large-scale community engagement and service-learning programs. Investigating less costly and time-intensive alternatives is necessary to broaden engagement and access. This project aims to implement one such effort with an enhanced acts of kindness intervention for adolescents. The enhancement incorporates existing evidence that requiring adolescents to reflect upon and savor their experience of helping others promotes the positive impact of such interventions. 120 high-school-aged youth will be recruited and assigned to one of three groups (40/group). Participants will either conduct a kind act for others, complete a kind act for others with a reflection component (enhanced condition), or report their daily activities three days per week for 4 weeks. During this intervention, they will receive text messages 3 days per week instructing them to complete their respective act. Participants will provide a brief description of this act that evening, as well as complete brief surveys at the end of the week for each week of the intervention. Participants will also complete a pre- and post-intervention questionnaire and participants' parents will complete a brief survey at the start of the study to provide demographic information and an idea of what prosocial behaviors participants witnessed in their home. The investigators will use these data to assess the effects of prosocial behavior on psychological health. Conceptual frameworks from developmental psychology guide the hypothesis that prosocial behavior will influence adolescents.
- Conditions
- Mental Health Wellness 1
- Being tested
- Other-Focused Acts of Kindness Intervention with Reflection, Other-Focused Acts of Kindness Intervention, Daily Reports
- Keywords
- adolescence, psychological well-being, social connection, kindness
- Medical subject headings
- Psychological Well-Being
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Other-Focused Acts of Kindness Intervention with ReflectionBehavioural
Participants engage in positive behaviors by completing acts of kindness for others three times per week. These acts should require effort and be outside of an individual's normal routine. Participants will then reflect on their kind acts after each week.
Other-Focused Acts of Kindness InterventionBehavioural
Participants engage in positive behaviors by completing acts of kindness for others three times per week. These acts should require effort and be outside of an individual's normal routine.
Daily ReportsBehavioural
Participants will report their daily activities three times per week. Aside from reporting at the end of the day, no changes should be made to the individual's normal routine.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Kindness to Others with Reflection | Experimental | Participants will complete the 'Other-Focused Acts of Kindness Intervention' by performing acts of kindness for others and will also complete a reflection component. They will be asked to complete 3 kind acts for others throughout the week for 4 weeks. They will receive text messages three days per week (either Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday or Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday) and will report on their kind act later that day. At the end of each intervention week, they will be asked to reflect upon their experience of performing kind acts for others. Receives: Behavioral: Other-Focused Acts of Kindness Intervention with Reflection |
| Kindness to Others | Active comparator | Participants will complete the 'Other-Focused Acts of Kindness Intervention' by performing acts of kindness for others. They will be asked to complete 3 kind acts for others throughout the week for 4 weeks. They will receive text messages three days per week (either Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday or Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday) and will report on their kind act later that day. Receives: Behavioral: Other-Focused Acts of Kindness Intervention |
| Daily Report | Sham comparator | Participants will complete the 'Daily Reports' and be asked to report their daily activities throughout the week for 4 weeks. They will receive text messages three days per week (either Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday or Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday) and will list activities from their day. Receives: Behavioral: Daily Reports |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Average Positive Affect
Average Positive Affect as assessed by the positive affect subscale of the Affect Adjective Checklist. An average is taken across four items, and scores range from 1 to 5 with higher scores indicating more positive affect over the week.
Measured: Weekly over 5 weeks
Secondary outcomes (2)
Average Psychological Flourishing
Change in average psychological flourishing from baseline to one week following the intervention as assessed by Mental Health Continuum-Short Form at week 5. An average is taken across 20 items, and scores range from 1 to 6, with higher values representing greater psychological flourishing.
Measured: Baseline and one-week post intervention (elapsed time of 5 weeks)
Average Negative Affect
Average negative affect as assessed by the negative affect subscale of the Affect Adjective Checklist. An average is taken across five items, and scores range from 1 to 5 with higher scores indicating more negative affect over the week.
Measured: Weekly over 5 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted4 Mar 2022
- Study start24 Aug 2023
- Primary completion1 Jun 2024
- Study completion1 Jun 2024
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Mental Health Wellness 1Studies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of California, Los AngelesThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- 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
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- 120 participants will randomly be assigned to one of three conditions. Participants will complete a 4-week intervention. All outcomes will be measured before and after the intervention, and some psychological measures will be collected weekly throughout the intervention.
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 119 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of California, Los Angeles
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Andrew J. Fuligni, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles
- Investigators
- Andrew J Fuligni, PhD, Principal investigator, University of California, Los Angeles
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05267132
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- IRB#21-002091
- Status last verified
- Aug 2025
- First submitted
- 23 Feb 2022
- Last updated
- 5 Sep 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 5 Sep 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Adolescent Acts of Kindness Intervention With Reflection
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05267132
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- IRB#21-002091
- Conditions
- Mental Health Wellness 1
- Keywords
- adolescence, psychological well-being, social connection, kindness
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 119 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of California, Los AngelesUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 24 Aug 2023 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 1 Jun 2024 (actual)
- Study completion
- 1 Jun 2024 (actual)
- First posted
- 4 Mar 2022 (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.
Adolescents will complete a 4-week intervention, during which they will either complete a kind act for others, complete a kind act for others with a reflection component, or report their daily activities three days per week. Psychological measures will be indexed before and after the intervention.
Detailed description
There is growing policy and scientific interest in promoting the positive benefits of kindness and prosociality. This is particularly true for adolescents, whose psychological and social maturation offers fertile ground in which kindness can be seeded early in life with potentially positive effects on their psychological health. Much of the existing efforts have focused on large-scale community engagement and service-learning programs. Investigating less costly and time-intensive alternatives is necessary to broaden engagement and access. This project aims to implement one such effort with an enhanced acts of kindness intervention for adolescents. The enhancement incorporates existing evidence that requiring adolescents to reflect upon and savor their experience of helping others promotes the positive impact of such interventions. 120 high-school-aged youth will be recruited and assigned to one of three groups (40/group). Participants will either conduct a kind act for others, complete a kind act for others with a reflection component (enhanced condition), or report their daily activities three days per week for 4 weeks. During this intervention, they will receive text messages 3 days per week instructing them to complete their respective act. Participants will provide a brief description of this act that evening, as well as complete brief surveys at the end of the week for each week of the intervention. Participants will also complete a pre- and post-intervention questionnaire and participants' parents will complete a brief survey at the start of the study to provide demographic information and an idea of what prosocial behaviors participants witnessed in their home. The investigators will use these data to assess the effects of prosocial behavior on psychological health. Conceptual frameworks from developmental psychology guide the hypothesis that prosocial behavior will influence adolescents.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 3
- Model description
- 120 participants will randomly be assigned to one of three conditions. Participants will complete a 4-week intervention. All outcomes will be measured before and after the intervention, and some psychological measures will be collected weekly throughout the intervention.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Kindness to Others with Reflection | Experimental | Behavioral: Other-Focused Acts of Kindness Intervention with ReflectionParticipants will complete the 'Other-Focused Acts of Kindness Intervention' by performing acts of kindness for others and will also complete a reflection component. They will be asked to complete 3 kind acts for others throughout the week for 4 weeks. They will receive text messages three days per week (either Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday or Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday) and will report on their kind act later that day. At the end of each intervention week, they will be asked to reflect upon their experience of performing kind acts for others. |
| Kindness to Others | Active comparator | Behavioral: Other-Focused Acts of Kindness InterventionParticipants will complete the 'Other-Focused Acts of Kindness Intervention' by performing acts of kindness for others. They will be asked to complete 3 kind acts for others throughout the week for 4 weeks. They will receive text messages three days per week (either Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday or Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday) and will report on their kind act later that day. |
| Daily Report | Sham comparator | Behavioral: Daily ReportsParticipants will complete the 'Daily Reports' and be asked to report their daily activities throughout the week for 4 weeks. They will receive text messages three days per week (either Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday or Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday) and will list activities from their day. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 14 to 17 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Between the ages of 14-17
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- None
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Other-Focused Acts of Kindness Intervention with ReflectionParticipants engage in positive behaviors by completing acts of kindness for others three times per week. These acts should require effort and be outside of an individual's normal routine. Participants will then reflect on their kind acts after each week. | Behavioural | Kindness to Others with Reflection |
| Other-Focused Acts of Kindness InterventionParticipants engage in positive behaviors by completing acts of kindness for others three times per week. These acts should require effort and be outside of an individual's normal routine. | Behavioural | Kindness to Others |
| Daily ReportsParticipants will report their daily activities three times per week. Aside from reporting at the end of the day, no changes should be made to the individual's normal routine. | Behavioural | Daily Report |
Primary outcome
Average Positive Affect
Time frame: Weekly over 5 weeks
Average Positive Affect as assessed by the positive affect subscale of the Affect Adjective Checklist. An average is taken across four items, and scores range from 1 to 5 with higher scores indicating more positive affect over the week.
2 secondary outcomes
Average Psychological Flourishing
Time frame: Baseline and one-week post intervention (elapsed time of 5 weeks)
Average Negative Affect
Time frame: Weekly over 5 weeks
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 5 Sep 2025.
- 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.
Andrew J Fuligni, PhD principal investigator
University of California, Los Angeles
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Other-Focused Acts of Kindness Intervention with Reflection, Other-Focused Acts of Kindness Intervention and Daily Reports in people with Mental Health Wellness 1, run by University of California, Los Angeles at 1 site in United States.
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 1 inclusion and 1 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: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 5 Sep 2025. 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 United States. 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. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. 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?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Average Positive Affect (time frame: Weekly over 5 weeks). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
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 5 Sep 2025.