Single Session Intervention to Prevent Common Mental Disorders and Among College Students

University of Nevada, Reno375 enrolled

Overview

The present study aims to determine the effect of presenting psychoeducation emphasizing "growth-mindset," and information on depression and anxiety symptom severity. The investigators hypothesize that psychoeducation emphasizing that mental health is malleable will increase the participant's engagement with risk factors outlined in the intervention

Depression and anxiety disorders (or common mental disorders; CMDs) are increasingly common among college students, with rates comparable to the general population. As such, brief, scalable and transdiagnostic prevention efforts targeting CMDs are needed. In order to address this need, this study aims to evaluate the impact of a single session intervention (SSI) utilizing growth mindset (GM) on CMD symptom severity and investigate the mediating role of changes in modifiable risk factors in the relationship between intervention and CMD symptom reduction. The intervention will adapt existing GM interventions for college students to engage mechanisms in the prevention and management of common mental disorders including engagement in modifiable risk factors. College students will be randomly assigned to complete either a GM intervention or a psychoeducation control.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

TRIPLE

Enrollment

375

Conditions

Depression, Anxiety

Interventions

Growth Mindset and Modifiable Risk Factor InformationBEHAVIORAL

15 minute interactive article describing neuroplasticity followed by 15 minute interactive article describing modifiable risk factors for depression and anxiety

ControlBEHAVIORAL

30 minute interactive article describing symptoms of depression and anxiety, common concerns of college student

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 17 YearsMax age: 26 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Age 17-26 * College student at the University of Nevada, Reno Exclusion Criteria: * Under the age of 17, over the age of 26 * Participated in pilot study * Not a college student at the University of Nevada, Reno

Locations (1)

University of Nevada, Reno

Reno, Nevada, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9; Kroenke, Spitzer & Williams, 2001)

9-item questionnaire associated containing one item for each symptom of MDD as specified by the DSM. Items consist of a 4-point Likert scale (0="Not at all" to 3="Nearly every day"). Minimum score is 0, maximum score is 27. Higher scores indicate greater depression severity.

Time frame: 6 months

Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7; Spitzer, Kroenke, Williams & Lowe, 2006)

7-item scale, common, brief measure of anxiety symptom severity. Items consist of a 4-point Likert scale (0="Not at all" to 3="Nearly every day"). Minimum score is 0, maximum score is 21. Higher scores indicate greater anxiety symptom severity.

Time frame: 6 months

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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