Self-help Books for Student Mental Health

NCT ID: NCT03779412

Last Updated: 2020-03-24

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

109 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2019-01-07

Study Completion Date

2019-04-30

Brief Summary

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The goal of this study is to compare the efficacy and mechanisms of change of two self-help books for college student mental health in a randomized controlled trial. One book is based on mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), and one is based on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT).

This study will test the following hypotheses:

1. The ACT and MBSR books will both be feasible and acceptable with college students as evidenced by equivalently high satisfaction and engagement rates.
2. The ACT and MBSR books will be equally effective in improving mental health and well-being among college students.
3. The ACT book will produce larger improvements in valued action, and the MBSR book will produce larger improvements in mindfulness.
4. Valued action will be a stronger predictor of improvements in mental health in the ACT condition and mindfulness will be a stronger predictor of improvements in the mindfulness condition.

Detailed Description

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The investigators aim to recruit 150 college students for this RCT (75 per treatment condition). This will provide adequate power (0.80) to detect differences between groups of medium effect size (d=0.50). Note that detailed eligibility criteria are listed in the "Eligibility" section. Participants will be recruited via SONA (a participant recruitment system), flyers, online postings, classroom announcements, and through a general online screener for various Utah State University (USU) Contextual Behavioral Science (CBS) Lab studies.

Total study participation will occur over approximately 8 weeks. all study procedures will be completed online, on a computer/mobile phone. After completing informed consent, participants will complete a baseline survey.

At the end of the baseline survey, participants will be randomly assigned to use a book based on ACT (The Happiness Trap) or MBSR (A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook). Participants will be asked not to access other self-help books during the study duration. Participants will be provided with an 8-week reading schedule and a link to the assigned book. Participants will be asked to complete a mid-treatment survey 4 weeks after the beginning of treatment. The mid-treatment survey will include questions about adherence. Participants will be asked to complete a post-treatment survey 8 weeks after the beginning of treatment. This survey will also ask about adherence (reading, use of strategies taught in the book). Researcher contact will involve reminders to complete assessments, basic email assistance in identifying and responding to any barriers to using the self-help book, and twice-weekly reminders of the suggested reading schedule.

After completing the initial assessment participants will be sent a link to The Happiness Trap if they are assigned to the ACT condition, or a link to the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook if they are in the MBSR condition. They will be able to access the book online at any time. Participants will be asked to read assigned chapters on an 8-week schedule.

The Happiness Trap is based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, a modern cognitive behavioral therapy that combines acceptance and mindfulness methods with values and behavior change methods. The primary treatment components in The Happiness Trap are psychoeducation of ACT, defusion, acceptance, mindfulness, self-as-context, value, behavioral commitment.

A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook is based on Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, a standardized approach to teaching mindfulness, primarily through meditation practices. The primary treatment components in A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook are psychoeducation about mindfulness and mindfulness meditation and various types of mindfulness meditation practice, such as mind-body connection, loving-kindness meditation, interpersonal mindfulness, and the healthy path of mindful eating, exercise, rest, and connection.

Conditions

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Mental Health

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two active self-help interventions for the duration of the study.
Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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ACT self-help book condition

Participants in this condition will be assigned to read The Happiness Trap by Harris (2008), a self-help book based on acceptance and commitment therapy.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

The Happiness Trap

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Participants assigned to this condition will be asked to read this self-help book over an 8-week period.

MBSR self-help book condition

Participants in this condition will be assigned to read A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook by Stahl and Goldstein (2010), a self-help book based on Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Participants assigned to this condition will be asked to read this self-help book over an 8-week period.

Interventions

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The Happiness Trap

Participants assigned to this condition will be asked to read this self-help book over an 8-week period.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook

Participants assigned to this condition will be asked to read this self-help book over an 8-week period.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Age 18 or older
* Enrolled at Utah State University
* Have not participated in other self-help studies run by the USU CBS Lab
* Interested in using self-help book for improving mental health and well-being

Exclusion Criteria

* Below the age of 18
* Not a student at Utah State University
* Have participated in previous self-help studies run by the CBS Lab
* Not interested in using a self-help book for improving mental health and well-being
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Utah State University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Michael Levin

Associate Professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Michael Levin, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Utah State University

Locations

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Utah State University

Logan, Utah, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

References

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Abramowitz JS, Moore EL, Braddock AE, Harrington DL. Self-help cognitive-behavioral therapy with minimal therapist contact for social phobia: a controlled trial. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry. 2009 Mar;40(1):98-105. doi: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2008.04.004. Epub 2008 Apr 26.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 18514614 (View on PubMed)

Baer RA, Smith GT, Hopkins J, Krietemeyer J, Toney L. Using self-report assessment methods to explore facets of mindfulness. Assessment. 2006 Mar;13(1):27-45. doi: 10.1177/1073191105283504.

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Blanco C, Okuda M, Wright C, Hasin DS, Grant BF, Liu SM, Olfson M. Mental health of college students and their non-college-attending peers: results from the National Epidemiologic Study on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2008 Dec;65(12):1429-37. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.65.12.1429.

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Center for Collegiate Mental Health (2012). CCAPS 2012 Technical Manual. University Park, PA

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Gillanders DT, Bolderston H, Bond FW, Dempster M, Flaxman PE, Campbell L, Kerr S, Tansey L, Noel P, Ferenbach C, Masley S, Roach L, Lloyd J, May L, Clarke S, Remington B. The development and initial validation of the cognitive fusion questionnaire. Behav Ther. 2014 Jan;45(1):83-101. doi: 10.1016/j.beth.2013.09.001. Epub 2013 Sep 18.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 24411117 (View on PubMed)

Harris, R. (2007). The happiness trap: How to stop struggling and start living. Penguin Random House.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Hayes, S. C., Strosahl, K. D., & Wilson, K. G. (2011). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: The process and practice of mindful change. New York: The Guilford Press.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Hayes SC, Villatte M, Levin M, Hildebrandt M. Open, aware, and active: contextual approaches as an emerging trend in the behavioral and cognitive therapies. Annu Rev Clin Psychol. 2011;7:141-68. doi: 10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-032210-104449.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21219193 (View on PubMed)

Hunt J, Eisenberg D. Mental health problems and help-seeking behavior among college students. J Adolesc Health. 2010 Jan;46(1):3-10. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.08.008. Epub 2009 Oct 20.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 20123251 (View on PubMed)

Kabat-Zinn J. (1990). Full Catastrophe Living. New York: Delacorte.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Keyes CL. Mental illness and/or mental health? Investigating axioms of the complete state model of health. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2005 Jun;73(3):539-48. doi: 10.1037/0022-006X.73.3.539.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 15982151 (View on PubMed)

Levin ME, Krafft J, Levin C. Does self-help increase rates of help seeking for student mental health problems by minimizing stigma as a barrier? J Am Coll Health. 2018 May-Jun;66(4):302-309. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2018.1440580. Epub 2018 Apr 19.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 29447600 (View on PubMed)

Levin, M.E., Krafft, J., Pistorello, J. & Seeley, J.R. (In Press). Assessing psychological inflexibility in university students: Development and validation of the acceptance and action questionnaire for university students (AAQ-US). Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Levin ME, Pistorello J, Seeley JR, Hayes SC. Feasibility of a prototype web-based acceptance and commitment therapy prevention program for college students. J Am Coll Health. 2014;62(1):20-30. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2013.843533.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 24313693 (View on PubMed)

Levin, M.E., Stocke, K., Pierce, B. & Levin, C. (2018). Do college students use online self-help? A survey of intentions and use of mental health resources. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 32, 181-198.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Lovibond, S. H. & Lovibond, P. F. (1995). Manual for the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, (2nd ed.). Sydney, AU: Psychology Foundation of Australia.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

McCracken LM, Chilcot J, Norton S. Further development in the assessment of psychological flexibility: a shortened Committed Action Questionnaire (CAQ-8). Eur J Pain. 2015 May;19(5):677-85. doi: 10.1002/ejp.589. Epub 2014 Sep 2.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 25181605 (View on PubMed)

Rosen, G.M., & Lilienfeld, S.O. (2016). On the failure of psychology to advance self-help: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) as a case example. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 46, 71-77.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Sevilla-Llewellyn-Jones J, Santesteban-Echarri O, Pryor I, McGorry P, Alvarez-Jimenez M. Web-Based Mindfulness Interventions for Mental Health Treatment: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JMIR Ment Health. 2018 Sep 25;5(3):e10278. doi: 10.2196/10278.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 30274963 (View on PubMed)

Smout, M.F., Davies, M., Burns, N., & Christie, A. (2014). Evaluating acceptance and commitment therapy: Development of the valuing questionnaire. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 3, 164-172.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Stahl, B. & Goldstein, E. (2010). A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook. New Harbinger Publications

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Other Identifiers

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9792

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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