A Home‐Based Online Psychoeducation Programme on Subjective Well‐Being Amongst Community‐Dwelling Older Adults With Frailty: A Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial

AIM: To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a home-based online psychoeducation (HOPE) programme amongst community-dwelling older adults with frailty. DESIGN: This study adopted a single-blinded, two-arm randomised controlled trial design. METHODS: Participants were randomly assigned to either the intervention or control group. All participants received 60-min weekly group-based online sessions at home via a videoconferencing platform for 12 weeks. The intervention group received psychoeducation sessions guided by self-determination theory to empower the participants to cope with frailty proactively. By contrast, the control group received educational sessions for general health management. Feasibility was assessed based on eligibility, recruitment and attrition rates; acceptability was evaluated through attendance rate, satisfaction survey and qualitative interviews. Physical and psychosocial outcomes were measured at baseline and 12 weeks post-allocation. The Mann-Whitney U test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were performed for data analysis, as appropriate. Interview transcripts were analysed using qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: Twenty-four participants were recruited with a mean age of 77.7 years (SD = 6.2), and most of them (91.7%) were female. The study demonstrated good feasibility with eligibility, recruitment and attrition rates of 55.8%, 82.8% and 16.7%, respectively. The mean satisfaction score was 4.6 out of 5. Participants experienced physical and psychological benefits, despite some practical challenges. Improvements in subjective well-being and agility were observed in the intervention group across 12 weeks, and the intervention group showed significantly higher subjective well-being compared to the control group at 12 weeks. CONCLUSION: The HOPE programme is feasible and acceptable for community-dwelling older adults with frailty. Suggested improvements include technical support during sessions, flexible scheduling, practical examples and content consolidation. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Home-based online delivery mode is a feasible, acceptable for providing psychological support for older adults with frailty. To optimise participation, practitioners should provide technical training and flexible scheduling that accounts for individual health fluctuations. REPORTING METHOD: This study adhered to the CONSORT guidelines for pilot and feasibility trials. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution. TRIAL REGISTRATION: WHO Primary Registry-Clinical Trials Registry Identified: NCT06415617.