A Cultural Experience to support Mental Health in People Aged 16-24 During COVID-19 Compared to a Typical Museum Website: Study Protocol of an Online Randomised Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: Despite the high prevalence of common mental disorders in adolescents and young adults, and their association with poor health and socio-economic outcomes throughout the lifespan, many young people do not seek or receive help for such disorders. There is growing interest in the community sector in supporting mental health in young people, however, there is little by way of experimental research in this area. During the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown we designed an online cultural experience to reduce anxiety and depression and promote positive mental health in people aged 16-24. Methods/design: The O-ACE POP (Online Active Community Engagement Proof of Principle) study is a randomised controlled trial of an online cultural experience named Ways of Being, based on human centred narratives and viewpoints, compared with a typical museum website (the Ashmolean Museum). We aim to compare efficacy on mood, distress (depression and anxiety), flourishing and loneliness as well as investigating potential mechanisms of action, and feasibility of a larger scale RCT. Discussion: COVID-19 has provided a unique opportunity to design an innovative approach to supporting mental health in young adults. Findings derived from this study will allow us to evaluate the efficacy of this intervention and will inform the design of studies to further refine the resource and test it further.Trial StatusTrial Registration: NCT04663594First Registered: 11^th Dec 2020 (submitted in same form 27^th Nov 2020)Protocol v1.0: 3^rd Dec 2020Date recruitment began: 4^th Dec 2020Recruitment complete (estimate): Feb 2021