Acceptability and Feasibility of a Universal Preventive Intervention

Summary

Mental health in the university population has become a common and serious problem within university institutions worldwide in recent years. Various meta-analyses and systematic reviews have shown worrying figures in the last five years. In the USA, it has been described in medical students that between 6.0% and 66.5% have depression, between 7.7% and 65.5% anxiety disorders, and between 12.2% and 96.7% present stress. In China, on the other hand, a study reported in 2016 that the prevalence of depression was 23.8%. In Latin America, a Brazilian article conducted on medical students shows a prevalence of depression at 30.6%, anxiety disorders at 32.9%, and stress at 49.9%.

In Chile, there are very few studies that address the prevalence of mental health disorders and associated risk factors in the university population. The article published in 2014 by Baader et al. is one of the first records was carried out on a population of 800 students in 2008 at the Austral University of Chile, reporting a prevalence of 27% of depression and 5.3% of students who present a moderate to severe risk of suicide. During April and May 2019, the results of the "First National University Mental Health Survey" project were presented, a project led by the Catholic University of Temuco and sponsored by the National Research and Development Agency (ANID), carried out to 600 students from the Catholic University of Temuco, the University of Concepción and the University of Tarapacá. This project showed that 46% of the students presented depressive symptoms, 46% anxiety symptoms, and 53.5% stress symptoms. Furthermore, 29.7% presented the three symptoms simultaneously, and 5.1% of the students had suicidal thoughts at the time of the study.

In a review of published studies on mental health in higher education students in Chile, a wide variability in the prevalence of psychological symptoms among students was identified. The findings showed a range of prevalence of psychological distress between 22.9% and 40.7%, of depressive symptoms between 16.5% and 38.8%, of anxious symptoms between 16.5% and 23.7%, of cannabis consumption in the last 12 months between 19.7% and 29.7%, and alcohol consumption in the previous year between 84.0% and 92.6%.

The data obtained from the Mental Health Surveys of the University of the Andes, applied in the years 2020 and 2022 to undergraduate students, indicate variations in the prevalence of different symptoms and psychological risks. Specifically, the prevalence of depressive symptoms decreased from 37.1% to 27.84%, and that of anxious symptoms decreased slightly from 37.9% to 36.13%. A notable decrease was observed in stress, going from 54.6% to 12.9%. On the other hand, the prevalence of suicide risk experienced a less pronounced decrease, from 20% to 18.4%, remaining at a considerably high rate.

Taking into account the above, mental health problems in the university population continue to be a public health problem that must be addressed preventively through the implementation of evidence-based programs.

Objective: This study aims to determine the acceptability and feasibility of an online universal mental health prevention program for university students. It is also expected to reduce depressive and anxious symptoms and improve quality of life.

Outcomes:

Primary response measures: Acceptability Assessment, Feasibility Assessment. Secondary response measures are depression, anxiety, and quality of life. The Outcomes section provides more details on anxiety and qu.

Expected results: The data collected will allow us to determine the acceptability and satisfaction of the participants with the intervention using a quantitative measure of its credibility and to explore its effects on the participants, considering the change in depressive and anxiety symptoms and quality of life before and after the intervention.

Conditions

• Depression/Anxiety

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

"Universal preventive intervention for depression and anxiety for university students"

This is a self-applied online intervention with six modules. It should be implemented over a period of 4 to 8 weeks. It includes emotion regulation, mindfulness exercises, coping strategies, problem-solving strategies, psychoeducation of anxiety and depression, and the development of healthy behaviors, explained through the following theoretical components: mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy. Participants will be guided through the program in a structured manner. They will start by accessing the CANVAS online platform, where they will find the content of the sessions in video, audio, and text formats. They will then be directed to practice exercises at home, with audiovisual material to guide them. It's crucial that participants complete the six sessions sequentially, as each session is designed to build upon the previous one, ensuring a comprehensive learning experience and effective learning.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Universidad de los Andes, Chile

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-07-01

Primary Completion

2025-04-30

Completion

2025-04-30