Last reviewed · How we verify
NCT04517006
Prosocial Behavior Can Safeguard Mental Health and Foster Emotional Well-being During the COVID-19 Pandemic
NA trial testing Self-focused acts in Happiness in 1,328 participants. Completed in 4 April 2021.
4 April 2021
Quick facts
| Lead sponsor | University of Toronto |
|---|---|
| Phase | NA |
| Status | Completed |
| Study type | INTERVENTIONAL |
| Allocation | randomized |
| Design | factorial |
| Masking | none |
| Primary purpose | supportive care |
| Enrollment | 1,328 |
| Start date | 31 January 2021 |
| Primary completion | 4 April 2021 |
| Estimated completion | 4 April 2021 |
| Sites | 1 location across Canada |
Drugs / interventions tested
- Self-focused acts
- Prosocial acts
Conditions studied
- Happiness — all drugs for Happiness →
- Anxiety — all drugs for Anxiety →
- Depression — all drugs for Depression →
- Morality — all drugs for Morality →
Sponsor
University of Toronto
Who can join
18 and older, any sex, with Happiness or Anxiety. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.
Sponsor's own description
The COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying lockdown measures have made mental health a pressing public health concern. Acts that focus on benefiting others-known as prosocial behaviors-offer one promising intervention that is both flexible and low cost. However, neither the range of emotional states prosocial acts impact nor the size of those effects is currently clear, both of which directly influence its attractiveness as a treatment option. Using a large online sample from Canada and the United States, the investigators will examine the effect of a three-week prosocial intervention on two indicators of emotional well-being (happiness and the belief that one's life is valuable) and mental health (anxiety and depression). Respondents will be randomly assigned to perform prosocial, self-focused, or neutral behaviors each week. Two weeks after the intervention, a final survey will assess whether the intervention has a lasting effect on mental health and emotional well-being. The results will illuminate whether prosocial interventions are a viable approach to addressing mental health needs during the current COVID-19 pandemic, as well for those who face emotional challenges during normal times.
Publications & conference data
1 peer-reviewed publication reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):
-
Using prosocial behavior to safeguard mental health and foster emotional well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: A registered report of a randomized trial.
Miles A, Andiappan M, Upenieks L, Orfanidis C. · · 2022 · cited 10× · PMID 35901118 · DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0272152
Verify or expand the search:
- PubMed search for NCT04517006
- Europe PMC full search
- ASCO Meeting Library
- ESMO Meeting Library
- bioRxiv preprints
- medRxiv preprints
- Google Scholar
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Verify against primary sources
- ClinicalTrials.gov — authoritative US registry record
- WHO ICTRP — international registry index
- EU Clinical Trials Register
- Sponsor press releases (Google)
- Trial protocol + status: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04517006 (US National Library of Medicine, public domain)
- Publications: Europe PMC API search by NCT ID, retrieved 10 June 2026
- Drug + disease cross-links: matched in real time against Drug Landscape's normalised drug + company + condition tables
- Sponsor: as reported to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of Toronto
- Last refreshed: 26 May 2021
Drug Landscape aggregates and links these public records for informational use only. Always verify against the primary source before clinical or regulatory decisions. Canonical URL: https://druglandscape.com/trial/NCT04517006.
Primary sources · FDA · ClinicalTrials.gov · EMA · SEC EDGAR · ChEMBL · Wikidata · full sourcing