What is CommonGround about?
In England, there is limited support for people living with long-term physical health conditions (LTC) to help them manage their mental well-being. Researchers from King’s College London, software developers, and a group of people living with LTCs, would like to change this, and have co-designed a new intervention to help patients manage low mood and depressive symptoms.
The intervention is an online peer support platform with educational self-help resources. It is exclusively for people with LTCs, regardless of their specific condition, meaning that all diagnoses are welcome, from diabetes to COPD, or arthritis to endometriosis, and of course, chronic kidney disease.
The research aims to investigate what people think about our new intervention, including what they like and dislike. We also want to compare our new intervention to the generic NHS “Mental Health” webpage resources.
Why am I being invited to take part?
We are inviting adults living with a long-term physical health condition(s) who have internet access to take part. We are not recruiting anyone who has a severe mental illness (bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, and/or psychosis, and or a diagnosis of dementia).
You must be over 18 years of age and be able to speak and understand English. Our research is UK-wide and is conducted remotely.
What is involved in taking part?
If you take part, you will complete two eligibility screenings, separated by a wait period while we recruit other people for the peer community to make sure that we have enough people for community to form on the platform. You will then be randomly assigned to either have three months of access to the online peer support platform or to be part of our control group accessing the NHS webpages. You will complete questionnaires at the beginning, middle, and end of the three months. You may also be invited to interview about your experiences. This is an online study.
What time commitment is involved?
In total, participation in our study will take approximately 7-9 months, depending on how quickly people sign up to our research and whether you participate in an interview. The actual intervention period, where you will access either the peer support platform or be directed toward the NHS resources, is 3 months.
Will time/travel costs be reimbursed? Is remuneration offered?
No travel is required, and as a token of our appreciation, we will offer shopping vouchers at the following stages:
- After you have completed the eligibility screenings and the questionnaires at the beginning of the trial (£10).
- After completing the final questionnaire (end of trial; £10)
- After completing the interview (if you are invited; £20).
Where can I find further information about CommonGround and register to participate?
- This is the link to more information and to sign up to the study: https://bit.ly/commongroundresearch
- This website also hosts our study information: https://www.quahrc.co.uk/online-peer-support-for-preventing-comorbid-depression-in-people-with-long-term-conditions
