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| Name | Class |
|---|---|
| Finnish Work Environment Fund | OTHER |
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The goal of this cluster randomized controlled trial is to learn if using Frendie PRO mobile application at workplaces improves social well-being in employees. The main questions it aims to answer are:
Does using Frendie PRO mobile application at work for 6 months reduce loneliness in employees? Does using Fendie PRO mobile application at work for 6 months reduce social isolation in employees?
Researchers will compare employees from workplaces that use the Frendie PRO mobile application to employees from workplaces that do not use the mobile application to see if there are differences in their levels of social well-being (loneliness, social isolation, perceived social support, depressive symptoms).
Participants will be given access to the Frendie PRO mobile application and encouraged to use it by employers.
Participants will be recruited from workplaces that use the Frendie PRO mobile application. After collecting baseline data, each workplace will be randomly assigned to treatment or control conditions. The unit of randomization is a workplace (or a team or department in bigger organizations).
The intervention group will be encouraged to download and start using the Frendie PRO mobile application. The control group will be informed of the date when they will have access to it (six months after the baseline).
Both groups are asked to participate in two follow-ups - a 3-month follow-up and a 6-month follow-up.
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intervention | Experimental |
| |
| Wait-list controls | No Intervention | The group will have access to the mobile application after the six-month follow-up period. |
| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frendie PRO mobile application | Behavioral | Frendie PRO mobile application offers employees an environment to manage their social relationships, organize leisure activities, and discuss personal or work-related matters. |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Loneliness | University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale | Will be measured three times: baseline, 3-month follow-up and 6-month follow-up |
| Social Isolation | The Social Isolation scale was modified from an index used by Christiansen et al. (2021). Christiansen and colleagues, in turn, created it inspired by the detailed Social Network Index created by Berkman and Syme (1979). Communication frequency with the following groups is measured:
| Will be measured three times: baseline, 3-month follow-up and 6-month follow-up |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Social support | Oslo Social Support Scale | Will be measured three times: baseline, 3-month follow-up and 6-month follow-up |
| Depressive symptoms | Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ9) |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Activity and behavior on the application | Each individual user's activity on the mobile application will be measured. The data will be used for additional analyses. | 6 months |
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
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| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Siiri-Liisi Kraav, PhD | University of Eastern Finland | Principal Investigator |
| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Eastern Finland | Kuopio | North Savonia | 70110 | Finland |
| PubMed Identifier | Type | Citation | Retractions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40885488 | Derived | Kraav SL, Schoenmakers E, Linnosmaa I, Sorola S, Tolmunen T. Study protocol of a cluster randomized trial to evaluate the Frendie PRO mobile application's effectiveness in reducing employees' loneliness and social isolation. Contemp Clin Trials. 2025 Oct;157:108060. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2025.108060. Epub 2025 Aug 28. |
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After 10 years, anonymized data will be offered to the Finnish Social Science Data Archive. If the data will not be accepted there, it will be destroyed.
After 10 years.
Application to the Finnish Social Science Data Archive
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D012934 | Social Isolation |
| D003863 | Depression |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D012919 | Social Behavior |
| D001519 | Behavior |
| D001526 | Behavioral Symptoms |
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Participants of the intervention group are given access and encouraged to use Frendie PRO mobile application
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The baseline data collection is conducted before randomization. No masking will be used after the randomization.
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| Will be measured three times: baseline, 3-month follow-up and 6-month follow-up |
| Workplace loneliness | Specific scale regarding loneliness experienced at workplaces. Includes 5 items that are modified from the UCLA loneliness scale. It was validated in Finnish adult population. Please see Kemppinen and Tanskanen (2023) for full description: Kemppinen, S., Tanskanen, J., 2023. Suomenkielisen työyksinäisyysmittarin validointi etä- ja hybridityöläisillä (Eng title: Validation of Finnish loneliness at work scale with remote and hybrid worker sample). Psykologia 58, 198-219. | Will be measured three times: baseline, 3-month follow-up and 6-month follow-up |