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Exercise + Self-Compassion Intervention for Depression

NCT04572035 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 60

Last updated 2023-04-25

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

An alarming number of students report depressive symptoms that make it difficult to function academically. Previous research has indicated that exercise can be effective in treating mild-moderate depression. However, individuals with depression may struggle psychologically to adhere to exercise programs. Researchers have highlighted the potential role of self-compassion, a psychological approach that is useful in dealing with personal inadequacies, to facilitate health behaviour regulation. Behavioural coaching is another approach that consists of self-regulatory strategies such as action planning and less emphasis on emotion-focused strategies. The purpose of this study is to test the effectiveness of a structured exercise and psychoeducation program on improving depressive symptoms among inactive students with depression and to evaluate if the addition of psychological components (self-compassion or behavioural coaching) affects this effectiveness. Students with mild-to-moderate depression will refer themselves to participate or be referred/recommended by Student Health Services at Western University. The study will consist of attending 3 exercise + psychoeducation sessions per week for 10-weeks. Study participants will be randomly allocated to one of three groups; exercise only, exercise + self-compassion, or exercise + behavioral coaching. All will complete questionnaires before, after, and 3-months following the end of their sessions. It is expected that participants in the exercise + self-compassion or exercise + behaviour coaching groups will show greater improvements in their depressive symptoms, program adherence and follow-up exercise behaviour and depression after 3 months than the exercise only group and that the exercise + self-compassion group will be superior to the exercise + behavioural coaching group in those measurements.

Conditions

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Behavioural Coaching

behaviour change strategies (i.e., action planning, implementation intentions, relapse prevention, and goal setting)

BEHAVIORAL

Self-compassion psychoeducation

self-compassion strategies (i.e., mindfulness, self-directed kindness meditations, and writing tasks)

OTHER

Exercise

aerobic exercise program either delivered in a laboratory setting or via Zoom

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Western University, Canada

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
17 Years
Max Age
30 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2020-10-01
Primary Completion
2022-06-30
Completion
2022-06-30

Countries

  • Canada

Study Locations

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Entities

Diseases

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 NCT04572035 on ClinicalTrials.gov