iCBT to Promote Emotional Well-being in University and Research Communities: Feasibility and Acceptability Study

NCT07082296 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 2023BENES003
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 35
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study will evaluate a brief internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) program developed specifically for university students, researchers, and academic staff. People in academic settings often face high levels of pressure and may experience psychological difficulties such as anxiety or excessive worry. However, access to psychological support adapted to the academic context is frequently limited. This study investigates whether a short, self-guided online iCBT program can help promote emotional well-being in this population. The program is based on cognitive behavioral therapy principles and is designed to be completed in four weeks, with brief sessions four times per week that can be accessed on any device. Participants will complete questionnaires before and after the intervention to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and safety of the program, as well as changes in emotional well-being. The aim is to evaluate whether this digital intervention can serve as a useful, scalable tool to support emotional well-being in university and research environments.

Conditions

Emotional Well-being

Keywords

iCBT; subjective well-being; emotional well-being; anxiety; depression; feasibility; acceptability; academia; university and research community

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Retention/compliance rates

  Retention/compliance rates refer to the proportion of participants who complete the study and follow the intervention as intended.

  Post-intervention (4 weeks after commencing treatment)

• Acceptability

  Acceptability will be measured using the Treatment Acceptability and Adherence Scale (TAAS), a brief self-report questionnaire that evaluates the acceptability of the psychological intervention from the participant's perspective. The TAAS consists of 10 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). To maintain comparability with the original scale, total scores (ranging from 10 to 50) will be linearly rescaled to range from 10 to 70. Higher scores indicate greater acceptability and adherence.

  Post-intervention (4 weeks after commencing treatment)

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Changes in affect

  Pre-intervention and post-intervention (4 weeks after commencing treatment). In addition, the 4-item version will be administered at 1, 2, and 3 weeks after commencing treatment.

• Changes in life satisfaction

  Pre-intervention and post-intervention (4 weeks after commencing treatment). In addition, the 2-item version will be administered at 1, 2, and 3 weeks after commencing treatment.

• Changes in anxiety symptoms

  Pre-intervention and post-intervention (4 weeks after commencing treatment). In addition, GAD-2 will be administered at 1, 2, and 3 weeks after commencing treatment.

• Changes in depressive symptoms

  Pre-intervention and post-intervention (4 weeks after commencing treatment). In addition, PHQ-2 will be administered at 1, 2, and 3 weeks after commencing treatment.

• Possible negative effects

  Post-intervention (4 weeks after commencing treatment). In addition, the 5-item version will be administered at 1, 2, and 3 weeks after commencing treatment.

Study Arms (1)

University and Research Community

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will receive the self-guided 4-week iCBT intervention.

Behavioral: iCBT-Academia

Interventions

iCBT-Academia BEHAVIORAL

iCBT-Academia is a brief, self-guided, internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) program specifically tailored to address the real-life challenges faced by the university and research community. It consists of four modules, each designed to be completed over a week.

University and Research Community

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

• Age ≥ 18 years.
• Ability to read in Catalan or Spanish.
• Undergraduate or master's student, PhD student, or teaching and researching staff.

You may not qualify if:

• Report that they are receiving psychological treatment or have a current mental disorder diagnosis.
• High subjective well-being and minimal symptoms of anxiety and depression at baseline, defined as scoring ≥20 on the Positive Affect subscale and \<10 on the Negative Affect subscale of the International Positive and Negative Affect Schedule - Short Form (I-PANAS-SF), scoring ≥26 on the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), and scoring \<5 on both the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7) and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Joaquim Radua: lead

Study Sites (1)

IDIBAPS

Barcelona, Spain

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Anxiety Disorders; Depression

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Mental Disorders; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior

Study Officials

• Joaquim Radua

  Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Leader of the IMARD group

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 4, 2025
• First Posted: July 24, 2025
• Study Start: July 11, 2025
• Primary Completion: January 1, 2026
• Study Completion: January 1, 2026
• Last Updated: March 24, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

ES (1)