An interventional study of Intergenerational Interaction Program in Ageism, Loneliness and Aging, sponsored by Acibadem University. Recruiting at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). Open to participants aged 18 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-29.
Sponsored by Acibadem University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention
This pilot randomized controlled trial aims to examine the effect of a 6-week intergenerational interaction program, conducted between older adults living in a nursing home and nursing students, on joy of life and loneliness in older adults and on ageism in nursing students.
Older adults living in Istanbul Darülaceze will be randomly assigned to an intervention group or a control group. In the intervention group, each older adult will be paired with a nursing student, and the same pair will meet once a week for about 2 hours over 6 weeks. The pairs will jointly decide on activities such as games (e.g., backgammon, dominoes, puzzles), reading and cultural sharing, creative work (e.g., drawing, collage, life-story albums), and sharing skills and experiences. Each session will end with a structured, mutual reflection. Older adults in the control group will continue their usual daily routine and will be offered the same program after the study ends, if they wish.
Joy of life and loneliness in older adults, and ageism in nursing students, will be measured before and after the program.
Background Ageism is associated with poorer physical and mental health, lower quality of life, social isolation, and loneliness among older adults. The World Health Organization identifies education and intergenerational contact as evidence-based strategies to reduce ageism. Meta-analytic evidence indicates that interventions combining education and intergenerational contact have the largest effect on attitudes toward older adults. However, intergenerational programs vary widely in context, sample, intensity, and duration, and stronger study designs are needed. This study is designed on the basis of intergroup contact theory (Allport's contact conditions) and positions nursing students and older adults as equal partners who make decisions together and share experiences, rather than as care recipients and care providers.
Aim and Hypotheses The aim is to examine the effect of a 6-week intergenerational interaction program on joy of life and loneliness in older adults living in a nursing home and on ageism in nursing students.
H1: After the program, older adults in the intervention group will have significantly higher joy of life scores than those in the control group.
H1a: After the program, nursing students in the intervention group will have significantly lower ageism scores than those in the control group.
H1b: After the program, older adults in the intervention group will have significantly lower loneliness scores than those in the control group.
Design Pilot, parallel-group, two-arm randomized controlled trial with a pretest-posttest design. The study also explores how participants experience the program, how they describe the reciprocal relationship, and the facilitators and barriers encountered during implementation.
Setting and Participants The study will be conducted at Istanbul Darülaceze (Kayışdağı Darülaceze Nursing Home) in collaboration with the Department of Nursing, Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University. A total of 30 older adults (15 intervention, 15 control) and 30 nursing students (15 intervention, 15 control) will be included. Sample size is limited by the institution's participant capacity. Older adults will be randomly assigned to groups at a 1:1 ratio.
Intervention The program lasts 6 weeks, with one session per week of about 2 hours (1 introductory week + 5 activity weeks). Before the first visit, students will receive brief training on aging, communication, and interacting with individuals with cognitive impairment. In week 1, pairs get to know each other and jointly decide on activities for the following weeks. Sessions in weeks 2-6 follow a fixed structure: welcome and conversation (15 min), activity selection (5-10 min), main activity (60-70 min, with breaks as needed), and reflection and closing (20-25 min). Activities are chosen jointly from four categories: games and problem solving; reading and cultural sharing; creative work; and sharing skills and experiences. The weekly focus moves from getting acquainted, to mutual learning, to shared decision-making and collaboration, to deepening the relationship, and finally to completion and planned closure. The program is structured around Allport's contact conditions: equal status, common goals, cooperation, institutional support, sustained contact (the same pair remains together for 6 weeks), and reciprocity. Any activities involving physical movement will be defined in advance and depend on approval by the institution's health team. Students will follow defined role boundaries (e.g., no medical or personal care, no health advice, no financial transactions, no unauthorized photos or recordings).
Control Group Older adults in the control group will continue their usual institutional routine and will be offered the same program after the study ends, if they wish.
Outcome Measures Older adults: Joy of Life in Old Age Scale (primary outcome; 23 items, 5-point Likert, 6 subscales) and Loneliness Scale for the Elderly (secondary outcome; 11 items, emotional and social loneliness subscales, total score 0-22).
Nursing students: Fraboni Scale of Ageism (primary outcome; 17 items, 4-point Likert, 3 subscales, total score 17-68).
Measurements will be taken at baseline (before the program) and after the 6-week program. A descriptive characteristics form will be completed at baseline. Session monitoring forms (attendance, duration, activity, deviations) and reflection record forms will be completed after each session.
Data Collection Scales will be administered to older adults face to face, with items read aloud verbatim when needed. Only the participant's own responses will be recorded; responses from staff or relatives will not be accepted in place of the participant's. Students will complete the scales individually, and their responses will not affect course or grade evaluations. Where feasible, outcome assessments will be conducted by an assessor blinded to group allocation. Posttest data will be sought from participants who discontinue the program but do not withdraw consent.
Data Analysis Descriptive statistics will be reported. Baseline equivalence will be tested with the independent-samples t-test, chi-square test, or Fisher's exact test. Between-group differences in change scores will be analyzed with the independent-samples t-test or Mann-Whitney U test, and within-group changes with the paired t-test or Wilcoxon signed-rank test. A mixed ANOVA or generalized estimating equations will be considered for group × time interaction. Significance will be set at α = .05 (SPSS v26 or later). Reflection records will be analyzed thematically and reported alongside the quantitative findings.
Ethics The study was approved by the Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University Medical Research Evaluation Committee (ATADEK; decision no. 2026-15/721, 08.10.2026), and institutional permission was obtained from Istanbul Darülaceze. Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants. For older adults with cognitive limitations, consent will be obtained from a legal representative together with the participant's verbal or behavioral assent. Participants may withdraw at any time without any effect on their care or education.
Acibadem University is the lead sponsor of 220 studies on the registry; 51 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Older adults:
Nursing students:
Exclusion Criteria:
Older adults:
Nursing students:
- No additional exclusion criteria
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Short tests of memory and thinking, each scored out of 30. Lower scores suggest more difficulty; criteria give a range, either to include people with memory problems or to leave them out.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
MMSE and MoCA
Short tests of memory and thinking, each scored out of 30. Lower scores suggest more difficulty; criteria give a range, either to include people with memory problems or to leave them out.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Experimental: Older adults (n=16) and nursing students (n=16) paired one-to-one, participating in the 6-week intergenerational interaction program.
Behavioral: Intergenerational Interaction Program
No Intervention (Control): Older adults (n=16) continuing their usual institutional routine and nursing students (n=16) not participating in the program; the program will be offered to older adults after the study, if they wish.
A 6-week intergenerational interaction program in which each older adult living in a nursing home is paired one-to-one with a nursing student. Pairs meet once a week for about 2 hours (1 introductory week + 5 activity weeks). Each session includes welcome and conversation (15 min), joint activity selection (5-10 min), a main activity (60-70 min), and mutual reflection and closing (20-25 min). Activities are chosen jointly by each pair from four categories: games and problem solving, reading and cultural sharing, creative work, and sharing skills and experiences. The program is structured around Allport's contact conditions: equal status, common goals, cooperation, institutional support, sustained contact, and reciprocity. Before the first visit, students receive brief training on aging, communication, and interacting with individuals with cognitive impairment, and they follow defined role boundaries (e.g., no medical or personal care).
Change in Joy of Life in Older Adults
Joy of life will be measured in older adults using the Joy of Life in Old Age Scale (Karagöz et al., 2025). The scale has 23 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree) and six subscales: loss of hope, psychological collapse, social support, family support, institutional support, and adaptation. \[Score range and interpretation: e.g., "Higher scores indicate greater joy of life."\]
Time frame: Baseline (before the program) and at week 6 (end of the program)
Change in Ageism in Nursing Students
Ageism will be measured in nursing students using the Fraboni Scale of Ageism (Fraboni et al., 1990). The scale has 17 items rated on a 4-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 4 = strongly agree) and three subscales: antilocution, discrimination, and avoidance. Total scores range from 17 to 68; higher scores indicate higher levels of ageism.
Time frame: Baseline (before the program) and at week 6 (end of the program)
Change in Loneliness in Older Adults
Loneliness will be measured in older adults using the Turkish version of the Loneliness Scale for the Elderly (de Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale; Turkish adaptation by Akgül \& Yeşilyaprak, 2015). The scale has 11 items rated as yes / maybe / no and two subscales: emotional loneliness and social loneliness. Total scores range from 0 to 22; higher scores indicate greater loneliness.
Time frame: Baseline (before the program) and at week 6 (end of the program)
Plan to share: No
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Started Oct 2026 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Nov 2026, 1 month after the start.
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