Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for University Students: A Single Case Experimental Study of the Self-help Book "The Unbreakable Student"
试验速览
- 阶段
- 不适用
- 状态
- 进行中（未招募）
- 入组人数
- 8
- 试验地点
- 1
- 主要终点
- Frequency of thoughts about idiosyncratic stressor.
研究概览
简要总结
Background to the project:
More and more university students are reporting poor mental health, which has resulted in long waiting lists for student support services. Given this context, self-help solutions, (which means giving students ideas in books/apps/websites that they can try in their own time to help with their problems), are becoming more important.
Rationale for the project:
There are many self-help resources for students but not many of them are well-researched. This research project will test a self-help book called "The Unbreakable Student: 6 Rules for Staying Sane at University".
Methodology:
A small group of students (approximately 12) will complete questionnaires at three time points (prior to reading the book, whilst reading the book and after reading the book). They will also answer four questions sent via text message, every three days throughout the study. These will relate to a particular aspect of university life which they have identified as stressful. They will also be interviewed afterwards, to give information about their experiences of reading the book and use of the end of chapter tasks etc.
Purpose:
The purpose is to find out if the book is helpful for students and, if so, which parts were the most helpful.
Hypotheses:
The book will help students to be less bothered by difficult thoughts, such that they might find them less interfering and may feel more engaged in meaningful activities.
The book will also improve student wellbeing.
详细描述
Aims:
The proposed research aims to assess whether reading "The Unbreakable Student: 6 Rules for Staying Sane at University" leads to any changes in idiosyncratic student outcomes, measures of student wellbeing and ACT based processes amongst a student population. It also aims to explore when in the intervention, any differences occur, to determine which content leads to the most change for students and therefore which change mechanisms should be targeted or prioritised in future student interventions.
Hypotheses:
It is hypothesised that reading an ACT based self-help book will change the way students relate to their experiences and thoughts about university stress. It is hypothesised that there will not be a significant change in how regularly students think about their source of stress. It is hypothesised that there may be a reduction in how interfering students rate their thoughts about a stressful topic and an increase in how they rate their engagement in meaningful activities, in spite of the stressors they face. These hypotheses will be tested via the use of idiosyncratic target variables.
It also hypothesised that there will be an increase in overall student wellbeing and ACT related processes, as measured by nomothetic measures.
研究设计
- 研究类型
- Interventional
- 分配方式
- Na
- 干预模型
- Single Group
- 主要目的
- Other
- 盲法
- None
入排标准
- 年龄范围
- 18 Years 至 —（Adult, Older Adult）
- 性别
- All
- 接受健康志愿者
- 是
入选标准
- •Registered as a current Cardiff University student.
- •Proficient in English.
- •Have an adequate reading level.
- •Identify as experiencing a non-clinical, university or study related difficulty. Examples include: Exam/presentation nerves, feelings of loneliness/stress/anxiety/low mood, binge drinking, procrastination, feelings of burnout, academic/course worries, unhealthy lifestyle choices.
排除标准
- •Must not be a Cardiff University psychology student, due to potential social desirability bias, associated with being from the same school as the book author.
- •Must not have read "The Unbreakable Student: 6 Rules for Staying Sane at University".
- •Must not be in concurrent research studies/receiving concurrent psychological support, including psychoeducational, therapeutic or self-help interventions. This is to ensure valid conclusions can be drawn about the impact of the book.
- •Must not present with heightened risk during recruitment, as screened for by the CORE-
- •This will be defined as a score within the moderate-severe/severe range (which is a score of 20 or higher) and/or indication of suicidal intent as indicated on the risk item. This is to ensure participant safety, whilst also ensuring a sample that reflects current levels of student distress. Any students not eligible due to risk will be signposted to services such as student support or their General Practitioner (GP).
研究组 & 干预措施
Self-help book for University Students
The Unbreakable Student: 6 Rules for Staying Sane at University by Dr Nic Hooper.
干预措施: Self-help book for university students. (Other)
结局指标
主要结局
Frequency of thoughts about idiosyncratic stressor.
时间窗: Participants will complete this measure every 3 days, for the duration of their baseline phase (randomly allocated) and for the duration of the intervention phase (8 weeks).
Participants will be asked to rate how often they have had thoughts about their idiosyncratic stressor, on a scale of 0-10 (0 = not very often at all, 10 = all the time).
Impact of thoughts about idiosyncratic stressor.
时间窗: Participants will complete this measure every 3 days, for the duration of their baseline phase (randomly allocated) and for the duration of the intervention phase (8 weeks).
Participants will be asked to rate how interfering their thoughts about their idiosyncratic stressor have been, on a scale of 0-10 (0 = not interfering at all, 10 = very interfering).
Engagement in meaningful activities.
时间窗: Participants will complete this measure every 3 days, for the duration of their baseline phase (randomly allocated) and for the duration of the intervention phase (8 weeks).
Participants will be asked to rate how engaged they feel in meaningful activities, in spite of any thoughts about their idiosyncratic stressor, on a scale of 0-10 (0 = not very engaged, 10 = fully engaged).
次要结局
- Comprehensive assessment of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy processes (CompACT)(Baseline, mid-intervention (week 4 of the book reading phase) and follow-up (1 week after completing the book reading phase).)
- Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS)(Baseline, mid-intervention (week 4 of the book reading phase) and follow-up (1 week after completing the book reading phase).)
研究者
Victoria Phillips
Principal Investigator (Trainee Clinical Psychologist)
Cardiff University