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Examining the Acceptability and Effectiveness of a Self-Directed, Web-Based Resource for Stress and Coping in University: Randomized Controlled Trial

NCT07086001 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 242

Last updated 2025-07-25

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

University students consistently report high levels of stress and psychological distress and identify these as key factors that negatively impact their academic performance and engagement with their studies. Supporting students in effectively coping with stress and distress is of critical importance to facilitate learning and development in university environments. To that end, technology-based approaches to delivering stress-management and well-being supports to university students have proliferated on campuses as supplemental means of supporting student stress management, coping capacity, and well-being. Indeed, online resources for students' self-directed use such as websites, apps, or on-demand workshops, are increasingly popular given their benefits in improving access to support as well as the potential for reaching students who may be reluctant to seek other forms of mental health support or are on waiting lists for more specialized services. In addition, the provision of resources for addressing stress and enhancing coping capacity is aligned with the recently proposed health theory of coping which calls for enhancing the availability of evidence-based healthy coping strategies. However, investigation into the acceptability, and even more critically the effectiveness of online, self-directed resources for non-clinical stress-management and healthy coping support is limited. Thus, this study sought to explore the acceptability and effectiveness of a self-directed, web-based resource for enhancing students' stress-management and coping capacity. Furthermore, the study also examined if there would be any added benefit of screening students to assess stress and coping needs and then directing them to specific resources to match their needs for stress-management and healthy coping support.

Conditions

  • Stress
  • Coping
  • Coping Behavior
  • Well-Being (Psychological Flourishing)
  • Digital Intervention

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

stress management and coping

Online intervention focusing on stress and coping in university students. All resources were grouped in five main categories: Managing Stress, Enhancing Performance, Adulting, Socialising, and Well-being. The resource was hosted on a website and presented information in several multimedia formats (i.e., text, audio, video, interactive infographic) to account for diversity of preferences. All students in the intervention groups were provided with unlimited access to the intervention. Furthermore, all students were asked to complete screener questions on their stress and coping but only students in the directed group were directed to one of three unique pages on the website based on their responses on the screening questionnaire demonstrating low, moderate, or high need for support around stress and coping.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • McGill University

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2022-10-02
Primary Completion
2022-12-28
Completion
2022-12-28

Countries

  • Canada

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07086001 on ClinicalTrials.gov