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ACT-based EMI in College Students

Not Applicable
Not yet recruiting
Conditions
Healthy Participants Study
Registration Number
NCT06843395
Lead Sponsor
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Brief Summary

This study aims to evaluate the acceptability and effectiveness of a transdiagnostic, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)-based ecological momentary intervention (EMI) among college students. A mixed-methods pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be conducted to assess its impact on psychological flexibility, well-being and mental health outcomes.

Detailed Description

Mental health issues are prevalent among college students, yet traditional interventions often face barriers related to accessibility and engagement. This study explores the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of a transdiagnostic ACT-based EMI designed to deliver in-the-moment psychological support via digital platforms. A mixed-methods pilot RCT will be conducted, with participants randomly assigned to either the ACT-based EMI group or a mood monitoring group. Quantitative measures will assess changes in psychological flexibility, stress, anxiety, depression, and well-being, while qualitative interviews will provide insights into user experience, engagement, and perceived benefits or barriers. Findings from this study will inform the optimization of ACT-based digital interventions for college students and contribute to the growing field of personalized, technology-assisted mental health care.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
NOT_YET_RECRUITING
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
60
Inclusion Criteria
  • Participants in our study are healthy college students
  • have smartphone, and have access to the internet
Exclusion Criteria
  • currently participating in another research
  • have significant cognitive impairment that prevents participation in the research

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Acceptabilitypost-intervention (one week after baseline)

The 8-item Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8) is employed to measure client satisfaction. Each item is rated on a 4-point Likert scale. Higher scores reflect better client satisfaction.

Overall mental healthBaseline (pre-intervention); Immediately after the intervention (1 week after baseline); 1-month follow-up (1 month after intervention)

Overall mental health will be measured using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Each item is rated on a 4-point Likert scale, with total scores ranging from 0 to 36. Higher scores indicate greater mental health difficulty.

Psychological distressBaseline (pre-intervention); Immediately after the intervention (1 week after baseline); 1-month follow-up (1 month after intervention)

Psychological distress will be measured using the 21-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scale. They ask about depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and general stress symptoms. Each item is rated on a 4-point Likert scale from 0 (did not apply to me at all) to 3 (applied to me very much or most of the time). Higher scores indicate more psychological distress

Mental well-beingBaseline (pre-intervention); Immediately after the intervention (1 week after baseline); 1-month follow-up (1 month after intervention)

The 14-item Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF) will be used to measure mental well-being during the past month. This scale has 3 dimensions: emotional well-being (EWB), psychological well-being (PWB), and social well-being (SWB). Each item is rated on a 6-point scale from 0 (never) to 5 (every day), with a higher score indicating greater well-being.

Psychological flexibility and inflexibilityBaseline (pre-intervention); Immediately after the intervention (1 week after baseline); 1-month follow-up (1 month after intervention)

The multidimensional psychological flexibility inventory short form (MPFI-24) is a 24-item scale assessing psychological flexibility. The scale consists of a flexibility subscale and an inflexibility subscale, divided into 12 dimensions, with 2 entries for each dimension, a total of 24 entries, and scored at levels 1 (never true) to 6 (always true).

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
State anxiety and depressionDuring the 7-day intervention period, measurements are conducted twice per day.

State anxiety and depression will be measured with the four-item Patient Health Questionnaire for Depression and Anxiety (PHQ-4). Responses are scored as 0 ("not at all"), 1 ("several days"), 2 ("more than half the days"), or 3 ("nearly every day"), with the total score on this composite measure ranging from 0 to 12.

State subjective happinessDuring the 7-day intervention period, measurements are conducted twice per day.

State subjective happiness will be measured by the 2-item Subjective Happiness Scale with each item rated on a 7-point Likert scale from 1 (not a very happy person) to 7 (a very happy person).

State stressDuring the 7-day intervention period, measurements are conducted twice per day.

State stress will be measured using a single item adapted from the Psychological Stress Measure (PSM-9). Participants will rate their state stress level on a sliding scale from 0 (not stressed at all) to 100 (very stressed), with higher scores indicating greater perceived stress.

State psychological inflexibilityDuring the 7-day intervention period, measurements are conducted twice per day.

State psychological inflexibility will be measured with six item adapted from the Multidimensional psychological flexibility inventory using a sliding scale ranging from 1 (never true) to 6 (always true).

State suicide ideationDuring the 7-day intervention period, measurements are conducted twice per day.

State suicide ideation will be assessed using a single item. Participants will respond on a 0 to 4 scale, with higher scores indicating greater suicidal ideation.

State well-beingDuring the 7-day intervention period, measurements are conducted twice per day.

State well-being will be measured with one item inspired by the Well-Being Manifestations Measure Scale using a sliding scale ranging from 0 (not good at all) to 100 (very good).

State affectDuring the 7-day intervention period, measurements are conducted twice per day.

State affect will be tapped by the 9-item Emmons Mood Indicator. Participants indicate their momentary feelings on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (not at all) to 7 (extremely), for NA (e.g., depressed, worried/anxious, and unhappy) and PA (e.g., joyful, happy, and enjoyment/fun).

State psychological flexibilityDuring the 7-day intervention period, measurements are conducted twice per day.

State psychological flexibility will be measured with Psy-Flex, a short self-report measure which covers all aspects of psychological flexibility. Items are rated on a scale from 5 ("very often") to 1 ("very rarely") and then summed. The score is then inter-preted such that higher scores represent higher psychological flexibility.

Suicide ideationBaseline (pre-intervention); Immediately after the intervention (1 week after baseline); 1-month follow-up (1 month after intervention)

Suicide ideation will be measured using the 5-item Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSS-5). Each item is rated on a three-point scale, with higher scores indicating greater suicidal ideation.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

🇨🇳

Hong Kong, China

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
🇨🇳Hong Kong, China
Bryant Hui
Contact
+852 2766 7744
phhui@polyu.edu.hk
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