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Keep Social Study for Young Adults
Sponsor: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Summary
The Keep Social randomized control trial (RCT) is a 6-week, online study which will test whether, relative to a placebo control condition, an intervention that encourages high-quality in-person social interactions with strangers and acquaintances reduces young adults' (ages 18 - 29) social isolation and loneliness. Participants will complete our 6-week protocol, which includes 6 weeks of passive ecological behavior sampling (i.e., geotracking) and Day Reports, our 4-week Invibe social media messages, plus recurrent Biweekly Assessments (BW1-BW4) that include both self-reported and behavioral measures. The first Monday following enrollment, participants complete the BW1 baseline survey to assess demographic characteristics and initial levels of all outcome variables (primary and secondary, \~20 min). They also (optionally) activate passive geotracking on this day and leave it activated, continuously, for the duration of the study. During the 2-week baseline and 4-week Invibe phases, time-varying psychological and behavioral mediators and moderators will be assessed three times per week via Day Reports. To increase ecological validity, each week, two weekdays (i.e., Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday), and one weekend day (i.e., Friday, Saturday or Sunday) will be randomly selected. Day reports will not be assigned on Mondays if there is a biweekly assessment scheduled.
Official title: Ameliorating Social Isolation: Identifying Factors That Impede or Facilitate Health-related Social Behavior Change
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
18 Years - 29 Years
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
1900
Start Date
2025-05-19
Completion Date
2027-11
Last Updated
2026-03-19
Healthy Volunteers
Yes
Conditions
Interventions
Experimental Health Communication
Participants view a brief psychoeducational video about the value of connecting in-person with others and receive guided instructions for creating if-then behavioral plans for increasing moments of high-quality social connection. Over the next four weeks, they view messages on a simulated social media platform to encourage in-person, connections with strangers and acquaintances on a platform called Invibe. The Invibe feed will also have approximately 15 background posts each day from "users'" about their lives, including food, fitness, pets, and travel, common on social media platforms. During the 4-week Invibe phase, after participants complete each Day Report, they will view the Invibe simulated social media feed. Participant exposure to each target message will be both passive, via that day's feed, and forced, via inclusion on the Day Report. Participants will see 12 social media messages during this 4-week phase, shown in random order within the first 3 daily posts.
Simulated Social Media Platform Only
To rule out placebo and nonspecific effects, the Keep Social RCT engenders positive expectations in all participants by promoting the use of Invibe as a beta social media platform to build and maintain social ties, a framing that mirrors information-as-usual for wellness through social media connections. Those in the Placebo Control condition receive no further health communication (view no psychoeducational video) and encounter all background content on Invibe (all target messages excluded) with control posts that feature unrelated content.
Locations (1)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States