Improv Comedy to Reduce Anxiety and Improve Mental Well-Being in Young Chinese Adults in Hong Kong

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if improv comedy helps reduce anxiety symptoms and improve mental well-being in Chinese young adults in Hong Kong. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Does improv comedy reduce anxiety symptoms? 2. Does improv comedy improve mental well-being? Researchers will compare participants who join the improv comedy workshops to participants who are placed on a waiting list to receive the workshops later, to see if improv comedy reduces anxiety and improves mental well-being. Participants will: 1. Attend weekly three-hour improv comedy workshops for 4 consecutive weeks 2. Complete four assessments and brief reflections during or around the workshop sessions 3. Take part in up to two individual interviews (optional)

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

* Ethnic Chinese, fluent in spoken Mandarin and able to read Chinese
* Never married and without children
* No current or past diagnosis of any mental disorder (e.g. anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders)
* Mild to moderate anxiety symptoms (defined as a GAD-7 total score between 5 and 14)
* No prior experience of formal performance training in drama
* Availability to attend at least 3 out of 4 weekly sessions over the 4-week intervention period upon enrolment

Exclusion Criteria:

* Unstable or severe chronic physical illness that would contraindicate participation in group activities or light-to-moderate physical movement (e.g., uncontrolled hypertension, severe asthma, acute cardiovascular events within the past 6 months)
* Moderately severe to severe depression symptoms (defined as a PHQ-9 total score greater than 14)
* Suicidal ideation (defined as a score greater than 0 on item 9 of the PHQ-9)
* Potential risky drinking behavior (defined as AUDIT-C total score greater than 4)

Conditions2

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