Project HF-COVID: Evaluating Hyper-Brief, Online Materials During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Elevations in state anxiety, when moderate and temporary, serve an adaptive function in pandemic contexts, facilitating health behaviors like self-protection and social distancing. However, for some people elevated state anxiety transitions to anxiety disorders, creating undue suffering and impairment. Nearly 33% of both Wuhan residents and Chinese citizens screened positive for generalized anxiety disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic, with uncontrollable, persistent COVID-19-related worries strongly predicting presence of GAD. Similarly, large surveys indicate that levels of anxiety symptoms are rising among United States citizens.

This finding aligns with a large body of literature indicating stronger perceived control over one's own anxiety buffers against a variety of anxiety disorders. Thus, in the context of COVID-19, there is a pressing need for materials that might strengthen perceived control over anxiety, thereby reducing risk for anxiety disorder onset. Ideally, such materials would (1) in no way undermine positive health behaviors, like social distancing, and (2) have capacity for broad-scale, immediate accessibility. Internet-based interventions may particularly valuable during the pandemic stage of COVID-19 due to the need for social distancing, and they have already scaled up to address needs in China. However, drop out from internet-based interventions can be up to 83% and intervention engagement is a frequent issue. Fortunately, single-session experiences (SSEs) can improve mental health related outcomes with similar effect sizes as multi-session therapies, and pilot data from our team suggests they can increase general perceived control (within-group dz = 0.70).

The goal of this project is to test a web-based platform where people can confidentially access and provide feedback on brief activities, called 'single-session experiences' (SSEs), which are about 8 minutes in length, entirely self-administered, and computer-based (Contain COVID Anxiety and Project Remain COVID Free). Previous activities following the same best practices as these experiences have been shown to be safe to complete; predicted significant reductions in psychological distress; and are entirely self-administered. We will recruit a weighted-probability sample of the United States through Prolific's online platform, N = 500. All data collected from the SSEs will be confidential, and the only identifiable information that will be recorded is the participants' Prolific ID to facilitate compensation, which will be deleted from the data after the compensation has been paid. Those that choose to complete the activities have the option to submit their advice to their peers and have it posted anonymously to the web-based platform. This will provide people with an option for an easily accessible activity designed to promote healthy coping skills and resilience in a welcoming environment through which they can learn with others and share experiences.