Self-help Books for Student Mental Health

NCT03779412 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 9792
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 109
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this study is to compare the efficacy and mechanisms of change of two self-help books for college student mental health in a randomized controlled trial. One book is based on mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), and one is based on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). This study will test the following hypotheses:

1. 1.The ACT and MBSR books will both be feasible and acceptable with college students as evidenced by equivalently high satisfaction and engagement rates.
2. 2.The ACT and MBSR books will be equally effective in improving mental health and well-being among college students.
3. 3.The ACT book will produce larger improvements in valued action, and the MBSR book will produce larger improvements in mindfulness.
4. 4.Valued action will be a stronger predictor of improvements in mental health in the ACT condition and mindfulness will be a stronger predictor of improvements in the mindfulness condition.

Conditions

Mental Health

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Change in Depression, Anxiety and Stress

  Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) : a self-report measure of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. Higher scores indicate higher negative emotional states of depression, anxiety, and stress. This measure assesses each of these symptoms as a distinct subscale. Items are rated on a 4-point scale ranging from 0 "did not apply to me at all" to 3 "applied to me very much, or most of the time." Ranges for depression, anxiety, and stress are 0-28, 0-20, and 0-33, respectively.

  Baseline, mid-treatment (4 weeks after baseline), and posttreatment (8 weeks after baseline)

• Change from Baseline Valuing Questionnaire (VQ) at 4 weeks and 8 weeks

  A self-report measure of valued action. This is a 10-item measure, and each item is rated on a 7-point scale ranging from 0 "not at all true" to 6 "completely true." The VQ is a new measure, but initial validation results indicate adequate reliability and validity.

  Baseline, mid-treatment (4 weeks after baseline), and posttreatment (8 weeks after baseline)

• Change from Baseline Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) at 4 weeks and 8 weeks.

  A self-report measure of five facets of mindfulness: observing, describing, acting with awareness, being nonjudgmental, and nonreactivity. The FFMQ is a 39-item questionnaire, and each FFMQ item is rated on a 5-point scale ranging from 1 ("never or very rarely true") to 5 ("very often or always true"). The FFMQ has been found to be a reliable and valid measure of mindfulness in past research.

  Baseline, mid-treatment (4 weeks after baseline), and posttreatment (8 weeks after baseline)

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Mental Health Continuum - Short Form (MHC-SF)

  Baseline, mid-treatment (4 weeks after baseline), and posttreatment (8 weeks after baseline)

• Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms (CCAPS)-Academic Distress Subscale (CCMH, 2012).

  Baseline, mid-treatment (4 weeks after baseline), and posttreatment (8 weeks after baseline)

• Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-University Students (AAQ-US).

  Baseline, mid-treatment (4 weeks after baseline), and posttreatment (8 weeks after baseline)

• Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (CFQ).

  Baseline, Baseline, mid-treatment (4 weeks after baseline), and posttreatment (8 weeks after baseline)

Other Outcomes (2)

• Adherence

  Mid-treatment (4 weeks after baseline), and posttreatment (8 weeks after baseline)

• Satisfaction with the self-help book

  Posttreatment (8 weeks after baseline)

Study Arms (2)

ACT self-help book condition

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this condition will be assigned to read The Happiness Trap by Harris (2008), a self-help book based on acceptance and commitment therapy.

Behavioral: The Happiness Trap

MBSR self-help book condition

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants in this condition will be assigned to read A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook by Stahl and Goldstein (2010), a self-help book based on Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.

Behavioral: A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook

Interventions

The Happiness Trap BEHAVIORAL

Participants assigned to this condition will be asked to read this self-help book over an 8-week period.

ACT self-help book condition

A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook BEHAVIORAL

Participants assigned to this condition will be asked to read this self-help book over an 8-week period.

MBSR self-help book condition

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Age 18 or older
• Enrolled at Utah State University
• Have not participated in other self-help studies run by the USU CBS Lab
• Interested in using self-help book for improving mental health and well-being

You may not qualify if:

• Below the age of 18
• Not a student at Utah State University
• Have participated in previous self-help studies run by the CBS Lab
• Not interested in using a self-help book for improving mental health and well-being

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Utah State University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Utah State University

Logan, Utah, 84322, United States

Location

Related Publications (21)

• Abramowitz JS, Moore EL, Braddock AE, Harrington DL. Self-help cognitive-behavioral therapy with minimal therapist contact for social phobia: a controlled trial. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry. 2009 Mar;40(1):98-105. doi: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2008.04.004. Epub 2008 Apr 26.

  PMID: 18514614 BACKGROUND

• Baer RA, Smith GT, Hopkins J, Krietemeyer J, Toney L. Using self-report assessment methods to explore facets of mindfulness. Assessment. 2006 Mar;13(1):27-45. doi: 10.1177/1073191105283504.

  PMID: 16443717 BACKGROUND

• Blanco C, Okuda M, Wright C, Hasin DS, Grant BF, Liu SM, Olfson M. Mental health of college students and their non-college-attending peers: results from the National Epidemiologic Study on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2008 Dec;65(12):1429-37. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.65.12.1429.

  PMID: 19047530 BACKGROUND

• Center for Collegiate Mental Health (2012). CCAPS 2012 Technical Manual. University Park, PA

  BACKGROUND

• Gillanders DT, Bolderston H, Bond FW, Dempster M, Flaxman PE, Campbell L, Kerr S, Tansey L, Noel P, Ferenbach C, Masley S, Roach L, Lloyd J, May L, Clarke S, Remington B. The development and initial validation of the cognitive fusion questionnaire. Behav Ther. 2014 Jan;45(1):83-101. doi: 10.1016/j.beth.2013.09.001. Epub 2013 Sep 18.

  PMID: 24411117 BACKGROUND

• Harris, R. (2007). The happiness trap: How to stop struggling and start living. Penguin Random House.

  BACKGROUND

• Hayes, S. C., Strosahl, K. D., & Wilson, K. G. (2011). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: The process and practice of mindful change. New York: The Guilford Press.

  BACKGROUND

• Hayes SC, Villatte M, Levin M, Hildebrandt M. Open, aware, and active: contextual approaches as an emerging trend in the behavioral and cognitive therapies. Annu Rev Clin Psychol. 2011;7:141-68. doi: 10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-032210-104449.

  PMID: 21219193 BACKGROUND

• Hunt J, Eisenberg D. Mental health problems and help-seeking behavior among college students. J Adolesc Health. 2010 Jan;46(1):3-10. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.08.008. Epub 2009 Oct 20.

  PMID: 20123251 BACKGROUND

• Kabat-Zinn J. (1990). Full Catastrophe Living. New York: Delacorte.

  BACKGROUND

• Keyes CL. Mental illness and/or mental health? Investigating axioms of the complete state model of health. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2005 Jun;73(3):539-48. doi: 10.1037/0022-006X.73.3.539.

  PMID: 15982151 BACKGROUND

• Levin ME, Krafft J, Levin C. Does self-help increase rates of help seeking for student mental health problems by minimizing stigma as a barrier? J Am Coll Health. 2018 May-Jun;66(4):302-309. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2018.1440580. Epub 2018 Apr 19.

  PMID: 29447600 BACKGROUND

• Levin, M.E., Krafft, J., Pistorello, J. & Seeley, J.R. (In Press). Assessing psychological inflexibility in university students: Development and validation of the acceptance and action questionnaire for university students (AAQ-US). Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science.

  BACKGROUND

• Levin ME, Pistorello J, Seeley JR, Hayes SC. Feasibility of a prototype web-based acceptance and commitment therapy prevention program for college students. J Am Coll Health. 2014;62(1):20-30. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2013.843533.

  PMID: 24313693 BACKGROUND

• Levin, M.E., Stocke, K., Pierce, B. & Levin, C. (2018). Do college students use online self-help? A survey of intentions and use of mental health resources. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 32, 181-198.

  BACKGROUND

• Lovibond, S. H. & Lovibond, P. F. (1995). Manual for the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, (2nd ed.). Sydney, AU: Psychology Foundation of Australia.

  BACKGROUND

• McCracken LM, Chilcot J, Norton S. Further development in the assessment of psychological flexibility: a shortened Committed Action Questionnaire (CAQ-8). Eur J Pain. 2015 May;19(5):677-85. doi: 10.1002/ejp.589. Epub 2014 Sep 2.

  PMID: 25181605 BACKGROUND

• Rosen, G.M., & Lilienfeld, S.O. (2016). On the failure of psychology to advance self-help: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) as a case example. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 46, 71-77.

  BACKGROUND

• Sevilla-Llewellyn-Jones J, Santesteban-Echarri O, Pryor I, McGorry P, Alvarez-Jimenez M. Web-Based Mindfulness Interventions for Mental Health Treatment: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JMIR Ment Health. 2018 Sep 25;5(3):e10278. doi: 10.2196/10278.

  PMID: 30274963 BACKGROUND

• Smout, M.F., Davies, M., Burns, N., & Christie, A. (2014). Evaluating acceptance and commitment therapy: Development of the valuing questionnaire. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 3, 164-172.

  BACKGROUND

• Stahl, B. & Goldstein, E. (2010). A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook. New Harbinger Publications

  BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Psychological Well-Being

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Personal Satisfaction; Behavior

Study Officials

• Michael Levin, PhD

  Utah State University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Model Details: Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two active self-help interventions for the duration of the study.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 10, 2018
• First Posted: December 19, 2018
• Study Start: January 7, 2019
• Primary Completion: April 30, 2019
• Study Completion: April 30, 2019
• Last Updated: March 24, 2020

Record last verified: 2020-03

Locations

US (1)