Overview

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if improv comedy helps reduce anxiety symptoms and improve mental well-being in Chinese young adults in Hong Kong. The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. Does improv comedy reduce anxiety symptoms?
2. Does improv comedy improve mental well-being?

Researchers will compare participants who join the improv comedy workshops to participants who are placed on a waiting list to receive the workshops later, to see if improv comedy reduces anxiety and improves mental well-being.

Participants will:

1. Attend weekly three-hour improv comedy workshops for 4 consecutive weeks
2. Complete four assessments and brief reflections during or around the workshop sessions
3. Take part in up to two individual interviews (optional)

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Ethnic Chinese, fluent in spoken Mandarin and able to read Chinese
• Never married and without children
• No current or past diagnosis of any mental disorder (e.g. anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders)
• Mild to moderate anxiety symptoms (defined as a GAD-7 total score between 5 and 14)
• No prior experience of formal performance training in drama
• Availability to attend at least 3 out of 4 weekly sessions over the 4-week intervention period upon enrolment

Exclusion Criteria:

• Unstable or severe chronic physical illness that would contraindicate participation in group activities or light-to-moderate physical movement (e.g., uncontrolled hypertension, severe asthma, acute cardiovascular events within the past 6 months)
• Moderately severe to severe depression symptoms (defined as a PHQ-9 total score greater than 14)
• Suicidal ideation (defined as a score greater than 0 on item 9 of the PHQ-9)
• Potential risky drinking behavior (defined as AUDIT-C total score greater than 4)