Need to Be Needed (N2BN): a program to boost feeling of being needed
Official title: Randomized, Controlled Trial of Need to be Needed (N2BN) Intervention to Improve Social Connection, Reduce Social Isolation and Loneliness
Run by Temple University · NCT06510439 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study will test whether weekly, personalized support to help adults with serious mental illness do acts of kindness and volunteer can reduce loneliness and social isolation.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years to 99 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 120 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Temple University Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | October 7, 2024 |
| Main results expected | July 30, 2027 |
| Study ends | May 31, 2035 |
| Registry record updated | January 21, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT06510439 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Adults 18+ living in the community with a research diagnosis of major depression, bipolar I or II, or a schizophrenia spectrum disorder, who can communicate in English, give informed consent, and have a UCLA-Loneliness score of 6 or higher are ideal candidates.
✕Probably not a fit
People who have a legal guardian, cannot give informed consent, live in settings that restrict movement, or cannot attend the in-person program in English are unlikely to be eligible or receive benefit.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This randomized, controlled trial will enroll 120 adults with serious mental illness receiving community mental health services and randomly assign them to the N2BN program or an attention control. The N2BN arm provides six months of weekly, individualized support from an interventionist who helps set goals and facilitate acts of kindness and volunteering using the CIVIC Framework and Mattering Wheel. The control group receives weekly non-directive listening from research staff and printed information about participation opportunities. Outcomes are measured at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months to track changes in loneliness, social isolation, and sense of mattering.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could increase participants' sense of being needed, reduce loneliness, and strengthen reciprocal social connections that persist beyond the intervention.
How similar studies have gone: Related programs using volunteering, acts of kindness, and gratitude have shown promise for reducing loneliness, but a focused mattering-based RCT in people with serious mental illness is relatively novel.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: 1. A research diagnosis of Major Depression, Bipolar I, II, or Schizophrenia Spectrum disorder. Participants will be screened by research staff using sections of the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI; Sheehan et al., 1998) that will identify research diagnoses of: Major Depression, Bipolar I, II, or Schizophrenia Spectrum disorder. 2. Ages 18 years old and older 3. Living in the community 4. Able to communicate in written and oral English 5. UCLA-Loneliness Scale score of 6 or higher Exclusion Criteria: 1. Having a legal guardian 2. Unable to give informed consent. 3. Living situation which restricts their ability to move freely Potential participants failing to meet screening criteria will be informed at the time that we are not able to enroll them in the study at this time. Any interview notes, or information recorded on the MINI will be destroyed or securely deleted. The study will not enroll any vulnerable populations.
Where it's running
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Hall Mercer
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Recruiting
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Bryan Mccormick, PhD
- Email: bryan.mccormick@temple.edu
- Phone: 1-215-204-6817
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.