Exploring the Efficacy of Treatments for Anxiety and Depression Among College Students
NCT ID: NCT06013930
Last Updated: 2025-11-14
Study Results
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Basic Information
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COMPLETED
NA
55 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
2023-07-25
2025-04-15
Brief Summary
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Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three intervention groups: external qigong, mindfulness meditation, or psychoeducation. Researchers will compare outcomes from each group to explore treatment differences.
Detailed Description
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Aims and Objectives. The proposed project's central hypothesis is that EQ will increase students' mental health and intention to persist in college by balancing the flow of energy in their bodies. Aim 1. Examine EQ's acceptability in a sample of college students with depression and/or anxiety. Hypothesis: Student retention (i.e., attendance in both treatment sessions) and self-reported treatment acceptability will be better for EQ relative to PE. EQ and MM will demonstrate equivalent acceptability. Aim 2. Determine EQ's effect on anxiety, depression (co-primary outcomes), and intention to persist in college (secondary outcome) over time. Hypothesis: EQ will decrease depression and anxiety while increasing intention to persist in college relative to PE from baseline to one-month follow-up. The co-primary and secondary outcome scores will not differ between EQ and MM. Aim 3. Investigate EQ's immediate effect on students' sense of connection (therapeutic mechanism). Hypothesis: EQ will increase students' sense of connection relative to PE during the treatment sessions. EQ and MM will have equivalent effects on sense of connection.
Conditions
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Study Design
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RANDOMIZED
PARALLEL
TREATMENT
SINGLE
Study Groups
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External Qigong
Participants will meet individually with the Qigong practitioner once a week for three weeks for 30-minute segments.
External Qigong
External Qigong will be facilitated by a seasoned Qigong practitioner. The Qigong practitioner will assist participants in learning how to use the healing powers of their bodies to decrease feelings of anxiety and/or depression
Mindfulness Meditation
Participants will meet individually with the mindfulness practitioner once a week for three weeks for 30-minute segments.
Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness meditation will be facilitated by a seasoned mindfulness practitioner. Participants will be guided through a meditation designed to help increase a sense of interconnectedness among their college community. They will also learn how to deconstruct feelings of anxiety and/or depression into sensory, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components.
Psychoeducation
In the psychoeducation arm, participants will receive recordings online, once a week for three weeks which will be approximately 30 minutes in length.
Psychoeducation
In the psychoeducation arm, participants will receive information related to managing anxiety and/or depression through a recorded presentation. Participants will learn about stress-management techniques to help reduce symptoms of anxiety and/or depression. They will also receive information on resources that could be helpful in treating anxiety and/or depression.
Interventions
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External Qigong
External Qigong will be facilitated by a seasoned Qigong practitioner. The Qigong practitioner will assist participants in learning how to use the healing powers of their bodies to decrease feelings of anxiety and/or depression
Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness meditation will be facilitated by a seasoned mindfulness practitioner. Participants will be guided through a meditation designed to help increase a sense of interconnectedness among their college community. They will also learn how to deconstruct feelings of anxiety and/or depression into sensory, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components.
Psychoeducation
In the psychoeducation arm, participants will receive information related to managing anxiety and/or depression through a recorded presentation. Participants will learn about stress-management techniques to help reduce symptoms of anxiety and/or depression. They will also receive information on resources that could be helpful in treating anxiety and/or depression.
Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria
* Currently enrolled in a two or four-year college.
* English speaking.
* Willing to travel to the study location.
* Access to a computer or smartphone with a Wifi connection.
* Score of a three or higher on the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 2-item and/or score of a three or higher on the Patient Health Questionnaire-2.
Exclusion Criteria
* Not able to travel to the study location.
* No access to a computer or smartphone with Wifi.
* Score \< 3 on the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 and \< 3 on the Patient Health Questionnaire-2.
18 Years
ALL
Yes
Sponsors
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Subtle Energy Funders Collective
UNKNOWN
University of South Dakota
OTHER
Responsible Party
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Principal Investigators
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Natalie Lecy, PhD
Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
Assistant Professor
Locations
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University of South Dakota
Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States
Countries
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References
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Steer RA, Brown GK, Beck AT, Sanderson WC. Mean Beck Depression Inventory-II scores by severity of major depressive episode. Psychol Rep. 2001 Jun;88(3 Pt 2):1075-6. doi: 10.2466/pr0.2001.88.3c.1075.
Hanley AW, Garland EL. Mapping the Affective Dimension of Embodiment With the Sensation Manikin: Validation Among Chronic Pain Patients and Modification by Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement. Psychosom Med. 2019 Sep;81(7):612-621. doi: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000000725.
Hanley AW, Nakamura Y, Garland EL. The Nondual Awareness Dimensional Assessment (NADA): New tools to assess nondual traits and states of consciousness occurring within and beyond the context of meditation. Psychol Assess. 2018 Dec;30(12):1625-1639. doi: 10.1037/pas0000615. Epub 2018 Jul 30.
Knowles KA, Olatunji BO. Specificity of trait anxiety in anxiety and depression: Meta-analysis of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Clin Psychol Rev. 2020 Dec;82:101928. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2020.101928. Epub 2020 Oct 10.
Sims M, Wyatt SB, Gutierrez ML, Taylor HA, Williams DR. Development and psychometric testing of a multidimensional instrument of perceived discrimination among African Americans in the Jackson Heart Study. Ethn Dis. 2009 Winter;19(1):56-64.
Felitti VJ, Anda RF, Nordenberg D, Williamson DF, Spitz AM, Edwards V, Koss MP, Marks JS. Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study. Am J Prev Med. 1998 May;14(4):245-58. doi: 10.1016/s0749-3797(98)00017-8.
Navarro O, Olivos P, Fleury-Bahi G. "Connectedness to Nature Scale": Validity and Reliability in the French Context. Front Psychol. 2017 Dec 12;8:2180. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02180. eCollection 2017.
Other Identifiers
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22-247
Identifier Type: -
Identifier Source: org_study_id