Resilience, PsychologicalLWCSCNCT07087886
Combined Intervention of Long-term Letter Mentoring and Centralized Summer Camp by University Student Volunteers for Disadvantaged Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial
A study testing Combined Resilience Intervention in people with Resilience, Psychological, run by Xiaoxuan Liu.
Trial summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a combined intervention of summer camp and letter-writing support works to improve psychological resilience in disadvantaged adolescents in Liangshan, Sichuan. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 10 to 16 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Resilience, Psychological
- What is being tested?
- Combined Resilience Intervention
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 497 participants
- Where
- No sites listed yet
- Study dates
- 17 Aug 2025to 30 Dec 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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 10 to 16 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child
Who may be able to join
- Students enrolled in Grade 7 or Grade 8 (junior middle school) in selected schools in Yuexi County, Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province.
- Identified as "children in adversity," including those from economically disadvantaged families, left-behind children, children with disabilities, or other children deemed at-risk by school officials.
- Able to understand and complete psychological questionnaires.
- Mentally and physically able to participate in group activities and engage in written communication.
- Willing to participate in the study and provide informed assent.
- Legal guardian has signed written informed consent for participation.
Who cannot join
- Children with serious psychiatric or developmental disorders (e.g., autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability) that impair comprehension or participation.
- Currently receiving professional psychological counseling or treatment that may interfere with the study protocol.
- Participation in other mental health interventions in the past year.
- Planning to transfer, drop out, or leave the region during the study period.
- Judged by the research team to be unsuitable for participation due to medical or other reasons (e.g., serious physical illness that prevents participation in camp activities).
Trial locations and contacts
No sites are listed yet. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
About this study
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a combined intervention of summer camp and letter-writing support works to improve psychological resilience in disadvantaged adolescents in Liangshan, Sichuan. The main questions it aims to answer are:
Does the "summer camp + letter-writing" intervention improve resilience in adolescents who face poverty, lack of parental care, or social risks?
Read more
Does this intervention reduce depression and anxiety symptoms?
Researchers will compare adolescents who join the summer camp and receive monthly letters to those who do not receive this program to see if the intervention helps their mental health and coping skills.
Participants will:
Attend a 5-day summer camp that includes group games, emotion expression activities, life education, and learning support
Receive monthly letters from trained university student volunteers for about 10 months after the camp. The letters will encourage them, give advice, and help them practice what they learned in the camp
Complete surveys about their resilience, depression, and anxiety before the intervention, during it, at the end, and 6 months later
This study will also look at whether the program is cost-effective, meaning if it brings mental health benefits at a reasonable cost.
Read the detailed description
This study will test a new way to help disadvantaged adolescents build psychological resilience. Psychological resilience means having the strength to handle challenges and stress in life. Many adolescents in Liangshan, Sichuan, face poverty, lack of parental care, or social risks, which increase their chances of depression, anxiety, and social withdrawal.
Researchers designed a program with two parts:
Summer camp (first month)
Participants will attend a 5-day summer camp held at a local school. University student volunteers will lead activities such as:
Team-building games to build trust and cooperation
Emotional expression through art, music, and storytelling
Life education and future planning to raise hope and self-confidence
Learning support and academic guidance The camp will provide a safe and supportive environment where adolescents can build positive relationships and learn skills to cope with difficulties.
Letter-writing support (after the camp, for 10 months)
After the summer camp, each participant will be paired with a trained university student volunteer. The volunteer will write a letter to the participant each month. Letters will:
Encourage and support the participant emotionally
Remind them to use the skills learned during the camp
Share stories, advice, and caring words to reduce loneliness
Participants will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group, who will join the camp and receive letters, or the control group, who will continue their normal school life without this program. All participants will complete surveys before the program, halfway through, at the end, and 6 months later to measure:
Psychological resilience
Depression symptoms
Anxiety symptoms
The study will also check if this program is safe, acceptable to adolescents, and cost-effective. There are no known major risks. The program does not replace professional therapy but provides social and emotional support. If any participant shows signs of severe mental health issues, the research team will help them get professional care.
This study aims to find out if combining a short-term camp with long-term letter-writing support can sustainably improve adolescents' mental health in low-resource areas. If proven effective, it may offer a scalable and low-cost way to support disadvantaged youth in rural China.
- Conditions
- Resilience, Psychological
- Being tested
- Combined Resilience Intervention
- Keywords
- Psychological resilience, Disadvantaged adolescents, Letter-writing support, Summer camp intervention, University student volunteers
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Combined Resilience InterventionBehavioural
A two-phase behavioral intervention aimed at improving psychological resilience among socioeconomically disadvantaged adolescents. The intervention includes:
- a 5-day structured summer camp led by trained university student volunteers, featuring psychoeducational group sessions, emotional expression activities, and life skills training, based on SEL, CBT, and positive psychology frameworks; and
- a 10-month pen-pal letter-writing component, where each child is matched with a trained university volunteer to receive monthly supportive letters. This stage reinforces the gains from the summer camp through sustained emotional support, skill reminders, and positive guidance.
The intervention is designed to be low-cost, scalable, and ethically safe, and has been standardized through manuals and training protocols.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention Group | Experimental | A two-phase intervention consisting of (1) a 5-day resilience training summer camp and (2) 10-month letter-writing support by university student volunteers. Receives: Behavioral: Combined Resilience Intervention |
| Control Group | No intervention | Participants will not receive the full intervention but will be offered a condensed version after the study ends for ethical consideration. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Psychological resilience (RSCA score) at post-intervention
Psychological resilience will be assessed using the Resilience Scale for Chinese Adolescents (RSCA), a 27-item validated instrument measuring five dimensions of resilience. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale, and the total score ranges from 27 to 135, with higher scores indicating greater resilience.
Measured: At baseline (1 month before intervention), mid-intervention (Month 6), end of intervention (Month 11), and follow-up (Month 17)
Secondary outcomes (3)
Change in depressive symptoms from baseline to follow-up (PHQ-9)
Depressive symptoms will be measured using the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), a validated screening tool for depressive symptoms. Each item is scored from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day), with a total score range of 0-27. Higher scores indicate more severe depressive symptoms. Clinically significant depression is defined as a score ≥10.
Measured: At baseline (1 month before intervention), mid-intervention (Month 6), end of intervention (Month 11), and follow-up (Month 17)
Change in anxiety symptoms from baseline to follow-up (GAD-7)
Anxiety symptoms will be assessed using the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), a validated self-report measure for generalized anxiety. Each item is rated from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day), with total scores ranging from 0 to 21. A score of ≥10 is considered clinically significant.
Measured: At baseline (1 month before intervention), mid-intervention (Month 6), end of intervention (Month 11), and follow-up (Month 17)
Change in mobile device addiction symptoms from baseline to follow-up (SAS-SV)
Digital device addiction will be assessed using the Short Version of the Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS-SV), adapted for general mobile device use. The scale includes 10 items rated on a 6-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 6 = strongly agree). Higher scores indicate greater risk of device addiction. A total score above 32 is considered indicative of problematic use.
Measured: Baseline (T0): 1 month before summer camp Post-intervention (T2): Month 11 Follow-up (T3): Month 17
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted28 Jul 2025
- Study start17 Aug 2025 (estimated)
- Primary completion30 Jun 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion30 Dec 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Resilience, PsychologicalStudies 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
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 497 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Xiaoxuan Liu
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor-investigator, Xiaoxuan Liu, Zhejiang University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07087886
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- ZGL202506-9
- Acronym
- LWCSC
- Status last verified
- Jul 2025
- First submitted
- 16 Jul 2025
- Last updated
- 28 Jul 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: This study involves vulnerable child participants, and individual-level data will not be shared due to ethical and privacy concerns. Only aggregate-level results will be made available in publications or upon request.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 28 Jul 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Combined Intervention of Long-term Letter Mentoring and Centralized Summer Camp by University Student Volunteers for Disadvantaged Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07087886
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- LWCSC / ZGL202506-9
- Conditions
- Resilience, Psychological
- Keywords
- Psychological resilience, Disadvantaged adolescents, Letter-writing support, Summer camp intervention, University student volunteers
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 497 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Xiaoxuan LiuUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 17 Aug 2025 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 30 Jun 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 30 Dec 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 28 Jul 2025 (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.
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a combined intervention of summer camp and letter-writing support works to improve psychological resilience in disadvantaged adolescents in Liangshan, Sichuan. The main questions it aims to answer are:
Does the "summer camp + letter-writing" intervention improve resilience in adolescents who face poverty, lack of parental care, or social risks?
Does this intervention reduce depression and anxiety symptoms?
Researchers will compare adolescents who join the summer camp and receive monthly letters to those who do not receive this program to see if the intervention helps their mental health and coping skills.
Participants will:
Attend a 5-day summer camp that includes group games, emotion expression activities, life education, and learning support
Receive monthly letters from trained university student volunteers for about 10 months after the camp. The letters will encourage them, give advice, and help them practice what they learned in the camp
Complete surveys about their resilience, depression, and anxiety before the intervention, during it, at the end, and 6 months later
This study will also look at whether the program is cost-effective, meaning if it brings mental health benefits at a reasonable cost.
Detailed description
This study will test a new way to help disadvantaged adolescents build psychological resilience. Psychological resilience means having the strength to handle challenges and stress in life. Many adolescents in Liangshan, Sichuan, face poverty, lack of parental care, or social risks, which increase their chances of depression, anxiety, and social withdrawal.
Researchers designed a program with two parts:
Summer camp (first month)
Participants will attend a 5-day summer camp held at a local school. University student volunteers will lead activities such as:
Team-building games to build trust and cooperation
Emotional expression through art, music, and storytelling
Life education and future planning to raise hope and self-confidence
Learning support and academic guidance The camp will provide a safe and supportive environment where adolescents can build positive relationships and learn skills to cope with difficulties.
Letter-writing support (after the camp, for 10 months)
After the summer camp, each participant will be paired with a trained university student volunteer. The volunteer will write a letter to the participant each month. Letters will:
Encourage and support the participant emotionally
Remind them to use the skills learned during the camp
Share stories, advice, and caring words to reduce loneliness
Participants will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group, who will join the camp and receive letters, or the control group, who will continue their normal school life without this program. All participants will complete surveys before the program, halfway through, at the end, and 6 months later to measure:
Psychological resilience
Depression symptoms
Anxiety symptoms
The study will also check if this program is safe, acceptable to adolescents, and cost-effective. There are no known major risks. The program does not replace professional therapy but provides social and emotional support. If any participant shows signs of severe mental health issues, the research team will help them get professional care.
This study aims to find out if combining a short-term camp with long-term letter-writing support can sustainably improve adolescents' mental health in low-resource areas. If proven effective, it may offer a scalable and low-cost way to support disadvantaged youth in rural China.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention Group | Experimental | Behavioral: Combined Resilience InterventionA two-phase intervention consisting of (1) a 5-day resilience training summer camp and (2) 10-month letter-writing support by university student volunteers. |
| Control Group | No intervention | –Participants will not receive the full intervention but will be offered a condensed version after the study ends for ethical consideration. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 10 to 16 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child
Key inclusion criteria (6 listed)
- Students enrolled in Grade 7 or Grade 8 (junior middle school) in selected schools in Yuexi County, Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province.
- Identified as "children in adversity," including those from economically disadvantaged families, left-behind children, children with disabilities, or other children deemed at-risk by school officials.
- Able to understand and complete psychological questionnaires.
- Mentally and physically able to participate in group activities and engage in written communication.
- Willing to participate in the study and provide informed assent.
Key exclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Children with serious psychiatric or developmental disorders (e.g., autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability) that impair comprehension or participation.
- Currently receiving professional psychological counseling or treatment that may interfere with the study protocol.
- Participation in other mental health interventions in the past year.
- Planning to transfer, drop out, or leave the region during the study period.
- Judged by the research team to be unsuitable for participation due to medical or other reasons (e.g., serious physical illness that prevents participation in camp activities).
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Combined Resilience InterventionA two-phase behavioral intervention aimed at improving psychological resilience among socioeconomically disadvantaged adolescents. The intervention includes: 1. a 5-day structured summer camp led by trained university student volunteers, featuring psychoeducational group sessions, emotional expression activities, and life skills training, based on SEL, CBT, and positive psychology frameworks; and 2. a 10-month pen-pal letter-writing component, where each child is matched with a trained university volunteer to receive monthly supportive letters. This stage reinforces the gains from the summer camp through sustained emotional support, skill reminders, and positive guidance. The intervention is designed to be low-cost, scalable, and ethically safe, and has been standardized through manuals and training protocols. | Behavioural | Intervention Group |
Primary outcome
Psychological resilience (RSCA score) at post-intervention
Time frame: At baseline (1 month before intervention), mid-intervention (Month 6), end of intervention (Month 11), and follow-up (Month 17)
Psychological resilience will be assessed using the Resilience Scale for Chinese Adolescents (RSCA), a 27-item validated instrument measuring five dimensions of resilience. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale, and the total score ranges from 27 to 135, with higher scores indicating greater resilience.
3 secondary outcomes
Change in depressive symptoms from baseline to follow-up (PHQ-9)
Time frame: At baseline (1 month before intervention), mid-intervention (Month 6), end of intervention (Month 11), and follow-up (Month 17)
Change in anxiety symptoms from baseline to follow-up (GAD-7)
Time frame: At baseline (1 month before intervention), mid-intervention (Month 6), end of intervention (Month 11), and follow-up (Month 17)
Change in mobile device addiction symptoms from baseline to follow-up (SAS-SV)
Time frame: Baseline (T0): 1 month before summer camp Post-intervention (T2): Month 11 Follow-up (T3): Month 17
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 28 Jul 2025.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. This study involves vulnerable child participants, and individual-level data will not be shared due to ethical and privacy concerns. Only aggregate-level results will be made available in publications or upon request.
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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.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Combined Resilience Intervention in people with Resilience, Psychological, run by Xiaoxuan Liu.
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 6 inclusion and 5 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: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 28 Jul 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
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?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact xiaoxuan Liu, MA (+8613305630831, xiaoxuanliu@zju.edu.cn), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Psychological resilience (RSCA score) at post-intervention (time frame: At baseline (1 month before intervention), mid-intervention (Month 6), end of intervention (Month 11), and follow-up (Month 17)). 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 28 Jul 2025.