Investigating the Potential Selves counselling intervention for identity distress among young adults

Not Applicable

• Conditions: Young adults experiencing distress and vulnerability related to personal identity, including sense of self, personal vocational directions, and capacity for interpersonal relatedness.; Mental and Behavioural Disorders

• Registration Number: ISRCTN18422488
• Lead Sponsor: niversity of British Columbia

Brief Summary

Not available

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Results First Posted: 1900-01-01
• Study Start: 2021-11-16
• Last Update Posted: 29 November 2021
• Study Completion: 2024-10-31

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: Ongoing
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 150

Inclusion Criteria

1. Young adults aged between 18 and 25 years, inclusive.
2. Identity-related vulnerability, defined as mild to moderate distress or difficulty in identity-related domains such as sense of self or self-concept, vocational commitment, social relationships, intimate relationships and sexuality, and self-regulatory abilities. Assessed using the the Identity Distress Scale (IDS) as having mild distress in at least three domains or moderate distress in at least two domains, along with at least moderate overall severity or impairment for more than one month in duration.
3. Capacity to provide informed consent. Prospective participants aged 18 at the time of enrolment will be screened to determine whether they meet criteria as emancipated minors (e.g. attending post-secondary education, living independently from parents, or earning their own income).
4. Verbal and written proficiency in English is required to participate in the project, due to the interactions required between mentors and participants

Exclusion Criteria

1. Presence of a significant psychological or behavioural problem that could pose risk to the individual participant (e.g. acute psychosis, active suicidal behaviour, and marked impulsivity)
2. Being a regular patient or client in an active psychotherapy/counselling treatment, defined as attending at a frequency of biweekly or weekly or greater (does not include less-frequent supportive care, or brief crisis intervention service, or vocational consultation, or primary care). This reflects concerns regarding interference with existing therapeutic relationships and concerns regarding the internal validity of the study.

Study & Design

• Study Type: Interventional
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
<br> 1. Identity distress measured using the Identity Distress Scale (IDS) at baseline, 12 weeks, and 3 months post-treatment for experimental group participants, and at baseline, 24 weeks, and 3 months post-treatment for control group participants<br> 2. Psychological distress measured using the Borderline Symptoms List 23 (BSL-23) at baseline, 12 weeks, and 3 months post-treatment for experimental group participants, and at baseline, 24 weeks, and 3 months post-treatment for control group participants<br>