Stress Management for College Students

Not Applicable

Recruiting

• Conditions: Distress, Emotional

• Registration Number: NCT06888141
• Lead Sponsor: Boise State University

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a virtual task can reduce distress in college students. The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. Will those who complete the virtual task have less distress?

2. Will men and women both benefit equally from the virtual task?

Researchers will compare the virtual task to a control task (another virtual task that we expect will not impact distress) to see if distress differs.

Participants will spend 20 minutes engaging in the virtual task (or the control task) on 3 different days all within one week. They will complete a survey about their well-being before starting the first virtual task and again \~6 weeks afterward.

Detailed Description

Easily accessible and cost effective strategies for reducing emotional distress and improving stress tolerance in college students and the population generally are desired. The scalability and feasibility of virtual interventions hold promise for reaching segments of the population that find one-on-one psychotherapy aversive. Males in particular have higher perceived treatment stigma relative to women and find may typical traditional therapeutic processes incongruent with their masculine identity and values. The research team has designed an innovative, self-directed, virtual intervention to reduce distress and stress intolerance. The intervention consists of a set of virtual tasks which reflect the Sequential Model of Emotional Processing presented with language, imagery and content that engages men.

Using a randomized clinical trials design, this pilot project will compare the effects of the virtual intervention with a virtual control task on emotional well-being outcomes in college students.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2025-02-18
• Status Verified: 2025-03
• Study First Submitted: 2025-03-06
• Study First Submitted QC: 2025-03-14
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-03-14
• Study First Posted: 2025-03-21
• Last Update Posted: 2025-03-21
• Primary Completion: 2026-02-18
• Study Completion: 2026-02-18

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 500

Inclusion Criteria

• 18 years of age or older
• college student

Exclusion Criteria

• Younger than 18 years of age

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change from baseline Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) scores to 6wks post intervention	From enrollment to the end of the ~6wk follow up period.	The scale ranges from 0-6 where higher scores indicate more dysfunction.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change from baseline Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 scores to 6wks post intervention	From enrollment to the end of the ~6wk follow up period.	The scale ranges from 0-6 where higher scores indicate more dysfunction.
Change from baseline Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-2 scores to 6wks post intervention	From enrollment to the end of the ~6wk follow up period.	Possible scores range from 0-10 where higher scores indicate higher resilience.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Boise State University; 🇺🇸 Boise, Idaho, United States