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Trial registered on ANZCTR


Registration number
Help: Registration number
ACTRN12626001097336
Ethics application status
Help: Ethics application status
Approved
Date submitted
Help: Date submitted
13/04/2026
Date registered
Help: Date registered
4/09/2026
Date last updated
Help: Date last updated
4/09/2026
Date data sharing statement initially provided
Help: Data sharing statement date
4/09/2026
Type of registration
Help: Type of registration
Retrospectively registered

Titles & IDs
Public title
Rebuilding Life After Stroke: The Power of Peer Support, Confidence, and Community in identifying the key components and psychosocial factors that influence the effectiveness of peer befriending
Scientific title
Rebuilding Life After Stroke: The Power of Peer Support, Confidence, and Community in Identifying the key components and psychosocial factors that influence the effectiveness of peer befriending in Stroke survivors
Additional trial identifiers [1] 317015 0
Nil
Universal Trial Number (UTN)
Trial acronym
Related trial records

Health condition
Health condition(s) studied:
Stroke 341511 0
Condition category
Condition code
Neurological 337589 337589 0 0
Other neurological disorders

Intervention/exposure
Study type
Observational
Patient registry
False
Target follow-up duration
Target follow-up type
Description of the intervention or exposure
This study is a mixed-methods observational study that aims to identify and understand the key components and psychosocial factors that influence the effectiveness of the existing Singapore National Stroke Association (SNSA) Peer Befriending Programme for stroke survivors.

The exposure in this study is prior participation in the SNSA Peer Befriending Programme. This is an existing community-based programme that matches stroke survivors with trained peers who have lived experience of stroke. Participants will not receive access to the Peer Befriending Programme solely because they are enrolled in this study. Eligible stroke survivors may participate in the SNSA Peer Befriending Programme regardless of whether they agree to take part in this research study. Participation in the research study is therefore separate from participation in the Peer Befriending Programme.

The study will recruit stroke survivors who have already participated in at least three SNSA Peer Befriending sessions. This minimum exposure is intended to ensure that participants have sufficient experience of the programme to share meaningful reflections. The study will not assign participants to peer befriending, withhold peer befriending, modify the programme, or alter the usual delivery of the SNSA Peer Befriending Programme.

Peer befriending involves matching stroke survivors with trained peers who provide emotional support, encouragement, shared understanding, and social connection. The programme is non-clinical and is not standardised as a therapeutic intervention. It aims to support psychosocial outcomes such as mood, self-efficacy, perceived social support, and social participation.

For participants who consent to take part in the study, involvement will consist of two research sessions:

Session 1: Demographic screening and questionnaires
Participants will complete demographic profiling and a series of questionnaires. This session is expected to take approximately 1 hour, with breaks between questionnaires. The questionnaires will collect information on mood and psychological well-being, quality of life, post-stroke participation, self-efficacy, and perceived social support. The measures include:

Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9): depressive symptoms
EuroQol 5-Dimension 5-Level Questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L): health-related quality of life
Stroke Impact Scale (SIS): post-stroke participation and perceived stroke impact
General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES): self-efficacy
Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS): perceived social support
Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10): psychological distress

Session 2: Semi-structured interview
Participants will take part in one semi-structured interview using a study-specific interview guide with 12–16 open-ended questions. The interview will explore participants’ lived experiences of the SNSA Peer Befriending Programme, including their motivations, confidence, occupational engagement, perceived benefits and challenges, interpersonal connections, and factors influencing befriender–befriendee matching. The interview is expected to last approximately 75 minutes, including a 15-minute break or shorter breaks to reduce fatigue. With participants’ consent, interviews will be audio-recorded without participant identifiers for transcription and thematic analysis.

The study will observe participants’ experiences and perceived impact of peer befriending, including engagement with the programme, perceived usefulness of peer support, motivational experiences, barriers and facilitators, confidence, social connectedness, self-efficacy, mood, and community participation. No physical intervention, clinical treatment, experimental manipulation, biological sample collection, or additional physical assessments will be conducted. The study does not involve retrospective medical record review.

The overall observation period for each participant will be from enrolment and consent until completion of the two research sessions, comprising the demographic screening/questionnaire session and the semi-structured interview session. Data collection is expected to take place between April and June 2026. There is no planned longitudinal follow-up beyond completion of these research sessions.
Intervention code [1] 333776 0
Not applicable
Description of the comparator or control
No control group
Control group
Uncontrolled

Outcomes
Primary outcome [1] 345078 0
Self-efficacy
Timepoint [1] 345078 0
single timepoint
Primary outcome [2] 345079 0
Perceived social support
Timepoint [2] 345079 0
single time point
Primary outcome [3] 345080 0
The primary outcome will be assessed as a composite primary outcome: Lived experiences and psychosocial mechanisms of peer befriending assessed as a composite outcome covering peer befriending experiences, perceived social support, self-efficacy, motivation, mood, empowerment, and community integration. This composite outcome is appropriate for the qualitative mixed-methods design, as the study seeks to understand how participants experience the existing SNSA Peer Befriending Programme and how peer befriending may influence related psychosocial processes. These include motivation, confidence, self-empowerment, perceived benefits and challenges, meaningful interpersonal connections, occupational engagement, and community integration. These components are conceptually interrelated and will be analysed together using thematic analysis, adopting a hybrid deductive–inductive approach guided by Self-Determination Theory and Transformational Leadership Theory. Therefore, lived experiences and psychosocial mechanisms will not be assessed as separate independent primary outcomes, but as components of one composite primary outcome.
Timepoint [3] 345080 0
single timepoint
Secondary outcome [1] 460369 0
Depressive symptoms
Timepoint [1] 460369 0
single timepoint
Secondary outcome [2] 460370 0
Health-related quality of life
Timepoint [2] 460370 0
single time point
Secondary outcome [3] 460371 0
Social participation after stroke
Timepoint [3] 460371 0
single time point
Secondary outcome [4] 460372 0
Psychological distress
Timepoint [4] 460372 0
single timepoint

Eligibility
Key inclusion criteria
(1) 21 years old or above, in accordance with the legal age of adulthood
under Singapore common law
(2) have a medical diagnosis of stroke
(3) able to communicate in English or Mandarin
(4) have attended at least three (3) SNSA Befriending sessions
(5) able to provide informed consent
Minimum age
21 Years
Maximum age
100 Years
Sex
Both males and females
Healthy volunteers
No
Key exclusion criteria
(1) have verbal or written communication difficulties
(2) severe or potentially terminal co-morbidities
(3) cognitive or mental health conditions that may impede meaningful participation in the interview

Study design
Purpose
Psychosocial
Duration
Cross-sectional
Selection
Convenience sample
Timing
Statistical methods / analysis

Recruitment
Recruitment status
Completed
Date of first participant enrolment
Anticipated
Actual
Date of last participant enrolment
Anticipated
Actual
Date of last data collection
Anticipated
Actual
Sample size
Target
Accrual to date
Final
Recruitment outside Australia
Country [1] 28025 0
Singapore
State/province [1] 28025 0

Funding & Sponsors
Funding source category [1] 321613 0
University
Name [1] 321613 0
Singapore Institute of Technology
Country [1] 321613 0
Singapore
Primary sponsor type
University
Name
Singapore Institute of Technology
Address
Country
Singapore
Secondary sponsor category [1] 324425 0
None
Name [1] 324425 0
Address [1] 324425 0
Country [1] 324425 0

Ethics approval
Ethics application status
Approved
Ethics committee name [1] 320138 0
Singapore Institute of Technology Institutional Review Board
Ethics committee address [1] 320138 0
Ethics committee country [1] 320138 0
Singapore
Date submitted for ethics approval [1] 320138 0
12/02/2026
Approval date [1] 320138 0
20/03/2026
Ethics approval number [1] 320138 0

Summary
Brief summary
Trial website
Trial related presentations / publications
Public notes

Contacts
Principal investigator
Name 149566 0
Dr Sharon Toh Fong Mei
Address 149566 0
Singapore Institute of Technology, 1 Punggol Coast Road Singapore 828608
Country 149566 0
Singapore
Phone 149566 0
+6591994906
Fax 149566 0
Email 149566 0
Contact person for public queries
Name 149567 0
Dr Sharon Toh Fong Mei
Address 149567 0
Singapore Institute of Technology, 1 Punggol Coast Road Singapore 828608
Country 149567 0
Singapore
Phone 149567 0
+6591994906
Fax 149567 0
Email 149567 0
Contact person for scientific queries
Name 149568 0
Dr Sharon Toh Fong Mei
Address 149568 0
Singapore Institute of Technology, 1 Punggol Coast Road Singapore 828608
Country 149568 0
Singapore
Phone 149568 0
+6591994906
Fax 149568 0
Email 149568 0

Data sharing statement
Will the study consider sharing individual participant data?
Yes
Will there be any conditions when requesting access to individual participant data?
Persons/groups eligible to request access:
• Researchers
Conditions for requesting access:
• Yes, conditions apply:
• Requires review on a case-by-case basis by the trial custodian, sponsor or data sharing committee
• Requires a data sharing agreement between data requester and trial custodian or sponsor
What individual participant data might be shared?
• De-identified individual participant data:
• All outcomes data
• Published results
What types of analyses could be done with individual participant data?
• Systematic reviews and meta-analyses
When can requests for individual participant data be made (start and end dates)?
From:
after publication of results in scientific reports

To:
Not yet decided
Where can requests to access individual participant data be made, or data be obtained directly?
• email of PI: [email protected]

Are there extra considerations when requesting access to individual participant data?
Yes: Singapore Institute of technology data sharing policy



What supporting documents are/will be available?

No Supporting Document Provided


Results publications and other study-related documents

Documents added manually
No documents have been uploaded by study researchers.

Documents added automatically
No additional documents have been identified.