International Students Intervention

NCT04945902 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 2020-1334
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 77
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The proposed project aims to provide international students on F-1, J-1, or M-1 visas at Purdue additional culturally-relevant support by implementing and testing a psychosocial intervention. The intervention was designed based on the results of a recently published research study (Bhojwani et al., 2020) about international student concerns and needs in the time of COVID-19. This intervention is designed to test the effectiveness of a strengths-based intervention that targets the particular needs of international students during COVID. The intervention was designed based on evidence-based Cognitive-Behavioral and Systemic Therapy (Jafar et. al, 2016; Saravanan et. al., 2017) approaches to addressing stress and anxiety in a culturally-relevant manner and to decrease social isolation.

Conditions

Social Isolation

Keywords

international students; virtual intervention

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

• Change from Baseline of CCAPS-34 scores to Post-intervention

  CCAPS-34 assesses seven domains of psychological symptoms salient to college students, average scores will be used \[range 0-4\], with higher scores indicating worse outcome

  6 weeks

• Change from Baseline of DASC-21 scores to Post-intervention

  DASC-21 assesses depression and anxiety symptoms, average scores will be used \[range 0-3\], with higher scores indicating worse outcome

  6 weeks

• Change from Baseline of CCAPS-34 scores to 10 weeks

  CCAPS-34 assesses seven domains of psychological symptoms salient to college students, average scores will be used \[range 0-4\], with higher scores indicating worse outcome

  10 weeks

• Change from Baseline of DASC-21 scores to 10-weeks

  DASC-21 assesses depression and anxiety symptoms, average scores will be used \[range 0-3\], with higher scores indicating worse outcome

  10 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Social Connectedness Scale (SCS)

  through the study completion, an average of 10 weeks

• Campus Climate

  through the study completion, an average of 10 weeks

• Group Session Rating Scale (GSRS)

  weekly for 6 weeks

Study Arms (3)

Asynchronous Group

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

The asynchronous intervention will provide access to information and resources for mental health support via Brightspace. The intervention will be six weeks long and each week will have a topic. The weekly topics include (1) identifying feelings; (2) biology of emotions; (3) mindfulness; (4) recognizing and responding to stress; (5) mental health stigma; and (6) self-care/self-advocacy. Each week, you will be required to complete four types of activities: education, reflective exercises, an activity, and a short assessment. All of these resources will be provided on Brightspace to be completed on your own time but the activities must be completed during the week they are assigned. You will not have to interact with other international students if you are in the asynchronous intervention group.

Behavioral: Asynchronous Intervention

Synchronous Group

EXPERIMENTAL

If you are assigned to the synchronous intervention group, you will be required to complete the asynchronous interventions on Brightspace AND attend a weekly one-hour support group. These support groups will meet virtually using a restricted WebEx channel and will be recorded. In this support group, students will discuss the weekly activities and build connections and support with each other. This group will be led by advanced doctoral students in counseling psychology and overseen by a counseling psychology faculty member, who is also a licensed psychologist.

Behavioral: Synchronous Intervention; Behavioral: Asynchronous Intervention

Waitlist

NO INTERVENTION

If you are assigned to the wait-list group, you will not have access to the asynchronous or synchronous interventions during the course of this study. After this study is completed, you will have access to the asynchronous intervention on Brightspace.

Interventions

Synchronous Intervention BEHAVIORAL

Weekly one-hour support groups. These support groups will meet virtually using a restricted WebEx channel and will be recorded. In this support group, students will discuss the weekly activities and build connection and support with each other. This group will be led by advanced doctoral students in counseling psychology and overseen by a counseling psychology faculty member, who is also a licensed psychologist.

Synchronous Group

Asynchronous Intervention BEHAVIORAL

The asynchronous intervention will provide access to information and resources for mental health support via Brightspace. The intervention will be six weeks long and each week will have a topic. The weekly topics include: (1) identifying feelings; (2) biology of emotions; (3) mindfulness; (4) recognizing and responding to stress; (5) mental health stigma; and (6) self-care/self-advocacy. Each week, you will be required to complete four types of activities: education, reflective exercises, an activity, and a short assessment. All of these resources will be provided on Brightspace to be completed on your own time but the activities must be completed during the week they are assigned. You will not have to interact with other international students if you are in the asynchronous intervention group.

Asynchronous Group; Synchronous Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• International students who report being on J-1, F-1, or M-1 visas
• Currently enrolled in classes at Purdue at either the undergraduate or graduate level either remotely or in-person
• years or older

You may not qualify if:

• active suicidality and/or homicidality

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Purdue University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Purdue University

West Lafayette, Indiana, 47907, United States

Location

Related Publications (2)

• Bhojwani, J., Joy, E., Hoxsey, A., & Case, A. S. (2020). Being an International Student in the Age of COVID-19. Susan Bulkeley Butler Center for Leadership Excellence and ADVANCE Working Paper Series, 3(2), Special Issue: 47-60.

  BACKGROUND

• Zhou X, Zhou AQ., & Sun X. Prevalence of common mental concerns and service utilization among international students studying in the US. Counselling Psychology Quarterly. 2021: 1-21.

  BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Social Isolation

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Social Behavior; Behavior

Study Design

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

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 16, 2021
• First Posted: June 30, 2021
• Study Start: January 18, 2021
• Primary Completion: May 18, 2021
• Study Completion: May 18, 2021
• Last Updated: June 30, 2021

Record last verified: 2021-06

Locations

US (1)