Online MBCT Program for University Students

NCT05804877 | Completed Results

• 1 other identifier: CS1-22150
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 69
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this interventional study is to examine the efficacy of the online mindfulness-based cognitive therapy program(MBCT) in youth (18-25 years old) with depressive symptoms. The main questions it aims to answer are:

• Whether the program could reduce depressive symptoms in university students.
• Whether the program could increase quality of life in university students.
• The effectiveness, acceptance, and practicability of the program for university students. Participants in the experimental group would be arranged to attend online mindfulness-based cognitive programs for eight weeks. The control group would be educated the knowledge of mental health to manage their negative emotions.

Conditions

Depression in Adolescence

Keywords

university student; online program; MBCT; depression; quality of life

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

• BDI-II -Pretest

  The Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) is a 21-item self-report questionnaire designed to measure the level of severity of disorders of depression. Items are scored from 0 to 3; higher scores indicate greater symptom severity. In the BDI-II values below 13 points are regarded as no or minimal depressive symptoms. Values between 14 and 19 points indicate a mild expression of depressive symptoms, values between 20 and 28 points a moderate severity. Scores between 29 and 63 are regarded as evidence of severe depressive disorder.

  BDI-II score at pre-test (1week before intervention)

• BDI-II -Posttest

  The Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) is a 21-item self-report questionnaire designed to measure the level of severity of disorders of depression. Items are scored from 0 to 3; higher scores indicate greater symptom severity. In the BDI-II values below 13 points are regarded as no or minimal depressive symptoms. Values between 14 and 19 points indicate a mild expression of depressive symptoms, values between 20 and 28 points a moderate severity. Scores between 29 and 63 are regarded as evidence of severe depressive disorder.

  1 week after the intervention, corresponding to Week 9

• WHOQOL-BREF-TW -Pretest

  The World Health Organization Quality-of-Life Scale (WHOQOL-BREF) is a 28-item self-report questionnaire with a five point rating scale for each item (from 1 to 5). There are four domains in WHOQOL-BREF, including physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment. The Physical Health domain consists of 7 items, with a total score range of 7 to 35; the Psychological domain includes 6 items, ranging from 6 to 30; the Social Relationships domain comprises 4 items, with scores ranging from 4 to 20; and the Environment domain contains 9 items, with a range of 9 to 45. Two additional items are assessed separately: Question 1 evaluates an individual's overall perception of quality of life, while Question 2 assesses their overall perception of health. Each of these two items is scored on a scale from 1 to 5. Domain scores are scaled in a positive direction, meaning that higher scores indicate better quality of life in the corresponding domain.

  WHOQOL-BREF-TW score at pre-test (1week before intervention)

• WHOQOL-BREF-TW -Posttest

  The World Health Organization Quality-of-Life Scale (WHOQOL-BREF) is a 28-item self-report questionnaire with a five point rating scale for each item (from 1 to 5). There are four domains in WHOQOL-BREF, including physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment. The Physical Health domain consists of 7 items, with a total score range of 7 to 35; the Psychological domain includes 6 items, ranging from 6 to 30; the Social Relationships domain comprises 4 items, with scores ranging from 4 to 20; and the Environment domain contains 9 items, with a range of 9 to 45. Two additional items are assessed separately: Question 1 evaluates an individual's overall perception of quality of life, while Question 2 assesses their overall perception of health. Each of these two items is scored on a scale from 1 to 5. Domain scores are scaled in a positive direction, meaning that higher scores indicate better quality of life in the corresponding domain.

  1 week after the intervention, corresponding to Week 9

Secondary Outcomes (6)

• BAI -Pretest

  BAI score at pre-test (1week before intervention)

• BAI -Posttest

  1 week after the intervention, corresponding to Week 9

• OSA -Pretest

  OSA score at pre-test (1week before intervention)

• OSA -Posttest

  1 week after the intervention, corresponding to Week 9

• COPM -Pretest

  COPM score at pre-test (1week before intervention)

Study Arms (2)

online mindfulness-based cognitive therapy program

EXPERIMENTAL

The online mindfulness-based cognitive program was delivered on the platform of LINE to the experimental group 3 times a week for 8 weeks

Behavioral: mindfulness-based cognitive therapy

mental health education

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

The mental health education was delivered on the platform of LINE to the control group 3 times a week for 8 weeks

Other: Mental health education

Interventions

mindfulness-based cognitive therapy BEHAVIORAL

Participants in the experimental group would be arranged to attend online mindfulness-based cognitive programs for eight weeks. Each week was divided into 3 parts, which were detailed mindfulness-based skills training with pictures or short videos, techniques application in different scenarios, and concepts consolidation through a web-based assignment.

online mindfulness-based cognitive therapy program

Mental health education OTHER

The mental health education was delivered on the platform of LINE to the control group 3 times a week for 8 weeks

mental health education

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 25 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Age of 18 and 25
• Has Beck Depression Inventory-2 (BDI-II) score of at least mild severity, with no upper limit
• Able to communicate through LINE app
• Able to read Chinese and willing to participate in research

You may not qualify if:

• Meets the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-V, such as schizophrenia, substance abuse, and Bipolar disorder
• Has ever been diagnosed as any significant physical illness, such as cancer, organ damage, and stroke
• Refuse to be assigned to different groups randomly

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Chung Shan Medical University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Chung Shan Medical University

Taichung, Taichung, 402, Taiwan

Location

Related Publications (18)

• Ritvo P, Knyahnytska Y, Pirbaglou M, Wang W, Tomlinson G, Zhao H, Linklater R, Bai S, Kirk M, Katz J, Harber L, Daskalakis Z. Online Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Intervention for Youth With Major Depressive Disorders: Randomized Controlled Trial. J Med Internet Res. 2021 Mar 10;23(3):e24380. doi: 10.2196/24380.

  PMID: 33688840 RESULT

• Hofmann SG, Smits JA. Cognitive-behavioral therapy for adult anxiety disorders: a meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials. J Clin Psychiatry. 2008 Apr;69(4):621-32. doi: 10.4088/jcp.v69n0415.

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• Solis AC, Lotufo-Neto F. Predictors of quality of life in Brazilian medical students: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Braz J Psychiatry. 2019 Nov-Dec;41(6):556-567. doi: 10.1590/1516-4446-2018-0116.

  PMID: 30994854 RESULT

• Gan GG, Yuen Ling H. Anxiety, depression and quality of life of medical students in Malaysia. Med J Malaysia. 2019 Feb;74(1):57-61.

  PMID: 30846664 RESULT

• Surawy C, McManus F, Muse K, Williams JM. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for Health Anxiety (Hypochondriasis): Rationale, Implementation and Case Illustration. Mindfulness (N Y). 2015;6(2):382-392. doi: 10.1007/s12671-013-0271-1.

  PMID: 25798209 RESULT

• Fjorback LO, Arendt M, Ornbol E, Fink P, Walach H. Mindfulness-based stress reduction and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2011 Aug;124(2):102-19. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0447.2011.01704.x. Epub 2011 Apr 28.

  PMID: 21534932 RESULT

• Joyce S, Shand F, Tighe J, Laurent SJ, Bryant RA, Harvey SB. Road to resilience: a systematic review and meta-analysis of resilience training programmes and interventions. BMJ Open. 2018 Jun 14;8(6):e017858. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-017858.

  PMID: 29903782 RESULT

• Luo Y, Xia W, Cheung AT, Ho LLK, Zhang J, Xie J, Xiao P, Li HCW. Effectiveness of a Mobile Device-Based Resilience Training Program in Reducing Depressive Symptoms and Enhancing Resilience and Quality of Life in Parents of Children With Cancer: Randomized Controlled Trial. J Med Internet Res. 2021 Nov 29;23(11):e27639. doi: 10.2196/27639.

  PMID: 34847060 RESULT

• Guardino CM, Dunkel Schetter C, Bower JE, Lu MC, Smalley SL. Randomised controlled pilot trial of mindfulness training for stress reduction during pregnancy. Psychol Health. 2014;29(3):334-49. doi: 10.1080/08870446.2013.852670. Epub 2013 Nov 1.

  PMID: 24180264 RESULT

• Lau N, O'Daffer A, Colt S, Yi-Frazier JP, Palermo TM, McCauley E, Rosenberg AR. Android and iPhone Mobile Apps for Psychosocial Wellness and Stress Management: Systematic Search in App Stores and Literature Review. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2020 May 22;8(5):e17798. doi: 10.2196/17798.

  PMID: 32357125 RESULT

• Uthman OA, Nduka CU, Abba M, Enriquez R, Nordenstedt H, Nalugoda F, Kengne AP, Ekstrom AM. Comparison of mHealth and Face-to-Face Interventions for Smoking Cessation Among People Living With HIV: Meta-Analysis. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2019 Jan 7;7(1):e203. doi: 10.2196/mhealth.9329.

  PMID: 30617044 RESULT

• Josephine K, Josefine L, Philipp D, David E, Harald B. Internet- and mobile-based depression interventions for people with diagnosed depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Affect Disord. 2017 Dec 1;223:28-40. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2017.07.021. Epub 2017 Jul 10.

  PMID: 28715726 RESULT

• Zhang MW, Ho RC. Moodle: The cost effective solution for internet cognitive behavioral therapy (I-CBT) interventions. Technol Health Care. 2017;25(1):163-165. doi: 10.3233/THC-161261. No abstract available.

  PMID: 27689560 RESULT

• Sun Y, Li Y, Wang J, Chen Q, Bazzano AN, Cao F. Effectiveness of Smartphone-Based Mindfulness Training on Maternal Perinatal Depression: Randomized Controlled Trial. J Med Internet Res. 2021 Jan 27;23(1):e23410. doi: 10.2196/23410.

  PMID: 33502326 RESULT

• Pan AW, Chung L, Hsin-Hwei G. Reliability and validity of the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure for clients with psychiatric disorders in Taiwan. Occup Ther Int. 2003;10(4):269-77. doi: 10.1002/oti.190.

  PMID: 14647540 RESULT

• Winnebeck E, Fissler M, Gartner M, Chadwick P, Barnhofer T. Brief training in mindfulness meditation reduces symptoms in patients with a chronic or recurrent lifetime history of depression: A randomized controlled study. Behav Res Ther. 2017 Dec;99:124-130. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2017.10.005. Epub 2017 Oct 12.

  PMID: 29078199 RESULT

Related Links

• World Health Organization(2021).Depression.
• 社團法人臺灣憂鬱症防治協會（2021）。青少年憂鬱防治與心理健康促進：需要你我共同參與。
• 台灣人類職能模式研究與應用發展中心-職能治療(MOHO center in Taiwan)(2009)。職能自我評估-中文版。

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Depression

Interventions

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Mindfulness; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; Behavior Therapy; Psychotherapy; Behavioral Disciplines and Activities

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Dr. Yun-Ling Chen
• Organization: Chung Shan Medical University

yunling.annie@gmail.com

+886958226869

Study Officials

• Yun-Ling Chen, Doctor

  Chung Shan Medical University

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: Yes

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: Assistant Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 5, 2023
• First Posted: April 7, 2023
• Study Start: April 20, 2023
• Primary Completion: July 5, 2023
• Study Completion: September 1, 2023
• Last Updated: December 10, 2025
• Results First Posted: December 10, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-11

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TW (1)