Believing People Can Change: A Randomized Controlled Trial of an Incremental Theory Intervention in Adolescence

NCT04133389 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 19-03-019
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 576
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study will test the effectiveness of a brief educational intervention that teaches youth that they can grow and change, known as "growth mindset." Similar growth mindset interventions have improved youths' well-being and academic skills, and reduced risk for depression. In this study, youths' depressive symptoms and well-being will be measured before the intervention and then again 4 months after the intervention to determine if the intervention had a positive impact for youth experiencing transitions (firs and last years of high school).

Conditions

Depressive Symptoms; Happiness; Life Satisfaction

Keywords

Growth mindset; Implicit theory; Adolescence; Mental Health; Well-being; students; Secondary Schools; Educational intervention

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Depressive symptoms

  Score on the Beck Depression Inventory-II. The BDI-II consists of 21 items using a 4-point Likert scale from 0 to 3, however the current study will use only 19 items. The item querying suicidal ideation will be removed, as this may be triggering, and researchers would not be able to follow up with those who would highly endorse this item. The item querying sexual interest will be removed, as this may not be equally applicable across the sample. Scores on each item are summed to determine summary scores from 0-57. Higher scores indicate higher levels of depressive symptoms.

  4 months (Oct 2019 - Feb 2020)

• Perceived happiness

  score on the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS). This measure consists of four items measured on a 7-point Likert scale; responses are averaged to create a summary score (minimum=1, maximum=7) and higher scores reflect higher levels of subjective happiness.

  4 months (Oct 2019 - Feb 2020)

• Life satisfaction

  score on the Brief Multidimensional Student Life Satisfaction Scale (BMSLSS). The BMSLSS includes five items that assess global life satisfaction as a reflection of five life domains: family, school, friends, self, and living environment. The BMSLSS uses a 7-point Likert scale that ranges from delighted to terrible. The score of each item will be averaged to create a single score (minimum=1, maximum=7) such that higher scores represent higher levels of life satisfaction.

  4 months (Oct 2019 - Feb 2020)

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Implicit theory of personality

  immediately post administration of the intervention

• Implicit theory of a person (general)

  Immediately post administration of the intervention

• Implicit theory of personality

  4 months (Oct 2019 - Feb 2020)

• Implicit theory of a person (general)

  4 months (Oct 2019 - Feb 2020)

Study Arms (2)

Growth Mindset of Personality

EXPERIMENTAL

Experimental intervention

Other: Growth mindset of personality educational intervention

Growth Mindset of Athletic Ability

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

Control intervention

Other: Growth mindset of athletic ability educational intervention

Interventions

Growth mindset of personality educational intervention OTHER

This is a brief online educational intervention that teaches growth mindset of personality. The intervention includes pictures, text, videos, and questions administered through Qualtrics survey software.

Growth Mindset of Personality

Growth mindset of athletic ability educational intervention OTHER

This is a brief online educational intervention that teaches growth mindset of athletic ability. The intervention includes pictures, text, videos, and questions administered through Qualtrics survey software.

Growth Mindset of Athletic Ability

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 13 Years - 18 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• A student at one of the recruited schools in grade 9 or 12
• Age 13-18 years
• Able to read and write fluently in English
• Have parent/guardian consent, and provide participant consent

You may not qualify if:

• Not a registered student at one of the recruited schools
• Less than 13 or more than 18 years old
• Unable to read and write fluently in English
• Does not have parent/guardian consent or does not consent to participate

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Guelph: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of Guelph

Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada

Location

Related Publications (18)

• Abela, J. R. Z., & Hankin, B. L. (2008). Depression in children and adolescents: Causes, treatment, and prevention. In J. R. Z. Abela & B. L. Hankin (Eds.), Handbook of depression in children and adolescents (pp. 3-5). New York, NY, US: The Guilford Press.

  BACKGROUND

• Abramson, L. Y., Metalsky, G. I., & Alloy, L. B. (1989). Hopelessness depression: A theory-based subtype of depression. Psychological review, 96(2), 358.

  BACKGROUND

• Abramson LY, Seligman ME, Teasdale JD. Learned helplessness in humans: critique and reformulation. J Abnorm Psychol. 1978 Feb;87(1):49-74. No abstract available.

  PMID: 649856 BACKGROUND

• Dweck, C. S., Chiu, C. Y., & Hong, Y. Y. (1995). Implicit theories and their role in judgments and reactions: A word from two perspectives. Psychological inquiry, 6(4), 267-285.

  BACKGROUND

• Dweck, C. S., & Leggett, E. L. (1988). A social-cognitive approach to motivation and personality. Psychological review, 95(2), 256.

  BACKGROUND

• Furlong, M. J., Gilman, R., & Huebner, E. S. (2014). Handbook of Positive Psychology in Schools, 2nd Ed New York. NY: Taylor & Francis.

  BACKGROUND

• Greenberg MT, Weissberg RP, O'Brien MU, Zins JE, Fredericks L, Resnik H, Elias MJ. Enhancing school-based prevention and youth development through coordinated social, emotional, and academic learning. Am Psychol. 2003 Jun-Jul;58(6-7):466-74. doi: 10.1037/0003-066x.58.6-7.466.

  PMID: 12971193 BACKGROUND

• Hankin BL, Abramson LY, Moffitt TE, Silva PA, McGee R, Angell KE. Development of depression from preadolescence to young adulthood: emerging gender differences in a 10-year longitudinal study. J Abnorm Psychol. 1998 Feb;107(1):128-40. doi: 10.1037//0021-843x.107.1.128.

  PMID: 9505045 BACKGROUND

• Hong, Y. Y., Chiu, C. Y., Dweck, C. S., Lin, D. M. S., & Wan, W. (1999). Implicit theories, attributions, and coping: A meaning system approach. Journal of Personality and Social psychology, 77(3), 588.

  BACKGROUND

• Masten, A., Herbers, J., Cutuli, J., & Lafavor, T. (2008). Promoting competence and resilience in the school context. Professional School Counseling, 12(2), 76-84.

  BACKGROUND

• Merikangas KR, He JP, Burstein M, Swanson SA, Avenevoli S, Cui L, Benjet C, Georgiades K, Swendsen J. Lifetime prevalence of mental disorders in U.S. adolescents: results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication--Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A). J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2010 Oct;49(10):980-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2010.05.017. Epub 2010 Jul 31.

  PMID: 20855043 BACKGROUND

• Petersen AC, Compas BE, Brooks-Gunn J, Stemmler M, Ey S, Grant KE. Depression in adolescence. Am Psychol. 1993 Feb;48(2):155-68. doi: 10.1037//0003-066x.48.2.155.

  PMID: 8442570 BACKGROUND

• Rindfuss RR. The young adult years: diversity, structural change, and fertility. Demography. 1991 Nov;28(4):493-512. No abstract available.

  PMID: 1769399 BACKGROUND

• Seligman, M. E., Ernst, R. M., Gillham, J., Reivich, K., & Linkins, M. (2009). Positive education: Positive psychology and classroom interventions. Oxford review of education, 35(3), 293-311.

  BACKGROUND

• Yeager, D. S., & Dweck, C. S. (2012). Mindsets that promote resilience: When students believe that personal characteristics can be developed. Educational psychologist, 47(4), 302-314.

  BACKGROUND

• Blackwell LS, Trzesniewski KH, Dweck CS. Implicit theories of intelligence predict achievement across an adolescent transition: a longitudinal study and an intervention. Child Dev. 2007 Jan-Feb;78(1):246-63. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.00995.x.

  PMID: 17328703 RESULT

• Burnette JL, Russell MV, Hoyt CL, Orvidas K, Widman L. An online growth mindset intervention in a sample of rural adolescent girls. Br J Educ Psychol. 2018 Sep;88(3):428-445. doi: 10.1111/bjep.12192. Epub 2017 Sep 27.

  PMID: 28960257 RESULT

• Miu, A. S., & Yeager, D. S. (2015). Preventing symptoms of depression by teaching adolescents that people can change: Effects of a brief incremental theory of personality intervention at 9-month follow-up. Clinical Psychological Science, 3(5), 726-743.

  RESULT

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Depression; Personal Satisfaction; Psychological Well-Being

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior

Study Officials

• Margaret Lumley, PhD

  University of Guelph

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR
• Masking Details: Participants will not be informed that there are different versions of the educational program and thus will be blind to group allocation. Randomization will be fully automated by the online intervention administration system such that researchers will also be blind to group allocation during intervention administration as well as during pre- and post-intervention data collection. Because randomization is automated, neither researchers nor participants will be able to predict randomization assignments. Outcomes will be measured quantitatively thus no assessment of primary outcomes will take place. However, assessors of the manipulation check (which codes for participant engagement in the intervention) will not be masked and thus will be aware of allocation (experimental or control).
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Model Details: The current study is a two-wave randomized controlled trial that employs a 2 (group - between participants) by 2 (time - within participants) mixed measures design to assess a brief online implicit theory of personality intervention.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 17, 2019
• First Posted: October 21, 2019
• Study Start: October 15, 2019
• Primary Completion: March 6, 2020
• Study Completion: March 6, 2020
• Last Updated: April 3, 2020

Record last verified: 2020-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CA (1)