Improving Emotion Regulation Flexibility: Testing the Efficacy of an Emotion Regulation Program in College Students
- Conditions
- Emotion RegulationAnxiety Depression
- Interventions
- Behavioral: ARTBehavioral: Relaxation
- Registration Number
- NCT05390034
- Lead Sponsor
- University Hospital, Grenoble
- Brief Summary
The main objective of this RCT is to test the efficacy of an emotion regulation group program (i.e., ART program) in college students, compared to an active control group (i.e., relaxation program). Using multilevel analyses, we expect an improvement in anxious-depressive symptomatology for both groups. However, we expect the ART group to improve specifically on emotion regulation flexibility ability, and the last to be a mediative variable on mental health.
- Detailed Description
Emotion regulation (ER) is a process associated with difficulties in mental health. Given its transdiagnostic features, its improvement could facilitate the recovery of various psychological issues. A limit of current studies is the lack of knowledge regarding whether available interventions improve ER flexibility (i.e., the ability to implement ER strategies in line with contextual demands), even though this capacity has been associated with better mental health and well-being. Therefore, the aim of the study is to test the efficacy of a 9-weeks ER group program (the Affect Regulation Training-ART), using the most appropriate measures (i.e., experience sampling method) in a student population. Plus, the goal of the study is to explore the potential mediative role of ER flexibility on mental health improvement.
This RCT will compare the ART program group to an active control group (a relaxation program) in 100 participants. To test the mediative role of ER flexibility on mental health, daily measures will be used before, during, and after the interventions to evaluate the extent to which participants are flexible in their ER.
Using multilevel analyses, we expect an improvement in anxious-depressive symptomatology for both groups. However, we expect the ART group to improve specifically on ER flexibility ability, and the last to be a mediative variable on mental health.
This study will enhance knowledge on interventions for students and the impact of interventions on ER flexibility. Also, this research will improve knowledge on ecological measures for assessing the effect of interventions. Overall, this project represents new opportunities to improve ER skills to improve mental health in undergraduate students.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- UNKNOWN
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 94
- Grenoble Alpes University student
- Having a smartphone that can host PIEL application
- BDI ≥ 10 and ≤ 30
- Reading, understanding, and speaking French
- Signed free and informed consent
Non inclusion Criteria:
- Participation in another study related to emotion regulation
- Participation in other psychotherapies involving cognitive and behavioral intervention (actual or in the past year)
- Changes in drug treatments in the last two months
- Student in psychology
- Individuals concerned in the articles L1121-6 à L1121-8 of CSP (i.e., protected individuals)
- Suicidal risk (BDI II, item suicidal thoughts > 1 or MINI suicide, low intensity)
- Anorexia nervose (MINI)
- Schizophrenic spectrum disorder (MINI)
- Substance abuse (heroin, cocaine, ecstasy) (MINI)
Not provided
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description ART ART Developed by Berking and Whitley (Berking \& Whitley, 2014), this transdiagnostic program aims to improve general emotion regulation skills, and more specifically by increasing participants' emotion regulation flexibility. ART targets several skills, such as acceptance, tolerance, non-judgmental awareness, self-support, analysis of the causes of emotions and emotional modification. This intervention consists of 9 sessions (2 hours each), each of which starts with the presentation of a vicious circle for psycho-education. This vicious circle is then transformed into a virtuous circle by introducing an emotion regulation skill. Participants are invited to reflect, discuss and practice this skill. Exercises are also recommended at home, with the help of audios and a written workbook made available. All the material was translated into French for the purpose of this research. Relaxation Relaxation The relaxation group will be based mainly on the intervention developed by Dominique Servant (Relaxation and meditation, 2021), adapted for this research for the group format and divided into 9 modules (2 hours each). This intervention proposes an added psycho-education part similar to the dedicated session of the ART program, followed by the teaching of different relaxation techniques to the participants, who are invited to test them in session and then to practice them at home. This control group focuses on a specific component present in the ART group (relaxation), allowing us to assess the impact of the other components of the ART program and thus explore our flexibility hypothesis (requiring several emotion regulation skills). Note that the mindfulness meditation components were removed from the program for this study, as they were considered a second emotion regulation skill.
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Change in Emotion regulation 30 minutes Emotion Regulation Skills Questionnaire (score), higher scores mean better outcome, value minimum of 0 maximum 108
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Change in Daily Emotion regulation flexibility Immediately after the intervention Experience sampling method using PIEL application (flexibility in emotion regulation strategies) - Questionnaire on smartphone (score aggregated with the 3 times of measurements)
Change in Depressive symptoms 20 minutes Beck Depressive Inventory Questionnaire (BDI-II) (score), higher scores mean worse outcome, value minimum of 0 maximum 63
Change in Anxious symptoms 20 minutes Beck Anxiety Inventory Questionnaire (BAI) (score), higher scores mean worse outcome, value minimum of 0 maximum 63
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
Université Grenoble Alpes
🇫🇷Grenoble, France