An Islamic Psychospiritual-Acceptance and Commitment-based Prevention Program for At-risk Young Adults in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Not Applicable

• Conditions: Psychological Distress
• Interventions: Behavioral: 5-week prevention program; Behavioral: Control

• Registration Number: NCT04870385
• Lead Sponsor: International Islamic University Malaysia

Brief Summary

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased mental health concerns worldwide, and young adults are at higher risk of experiencing increased psychological distress due to the pandemic. University students face compounding stressors during the pandemic, such as online and remote learning, economic insecurity, and uncertain career prospects. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an online modular prevention program featuring integrated elements of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Islamic spirituality in reducing the psychological distress and increasing the psychological flexibility, self-compassion, and resilience of Muslim university students in Malaysia.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2021-04-07
• Study Start: 2021-04-11
• Study First Submitted QC: 2021-04-28
• Study First Posted: 2021-05-03
• Primary Completion: 2021-06-25
• Status Verified: 2021-08
• Study Completion: 2021-08
• Last Update Submitted: 2021-08-30
• Last Update Posted: 2021-08-31

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: UNKNOWN
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 120

Inclusion Criteria

• Undergraduate or postgraduate student enrolled in a Malaysian university
• aged 18-29 years old
• Obtained moderate and above levels in either one of the stress, anxiety, and depression subscales of the DASS-21 pre-intervention assessment
• Muslim
• Owns a gadget with Internet access
• Can read and understand English

Exclusion Criteria

• Those with previous experience with a modular ACT-based treatment with Islamic elements
• Those with past or present diagnosis of mental/neurological disorder
• Those reporting active suicidality
• Those involved in any other form of psychological treatment (ie. psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy)

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Treatment	5-week prevention program	5-week online prevention program
Control	Control	Waitlist control

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Changes in psychological distress	Measured at pre-intervention, mid-intervention (third week of prevention program), post-intervention (up to 1-week after completion of program), and 1-month follow-up	Measured using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21; Lovibond \& Lovibond, 1995).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Changes in psychological flexibility	Measured at pre-intervention, mid-intervention (third week of prevention program), post-intervention (up to 1-week after completion of program), and 1-month follow-up	Measured using the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-II; Bond et al., 2011; Hayes et al., 2004).
Changes in self-compassion.	Measured at pre-intervention, mid-intervention (third week of prevention program), post-intervention (up to 1-week after completion of program), and 1-month follow-up	Measured through the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS; Neff 2003; Neff, 2015).
Changes in resilience	Measured at pre-intervention, mid-intervention (third week of prevention program), post-intervention (up to 1-week after completion of program), and 1-month follow-up	Measured by the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS; Smith et al., 2008).

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

International Islamic University Malaysia; 🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Malaysia