None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
This project aims to evaluate a virtual clinic (the Uni Virtual Clinic, or UVC) to improve mental health in university students. We want to know whether the UVC is feasible, acceptable, useful, and effective at helping students with their mental health, specifically symptoms of depression. To do this, we will ask university students attending the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia to participate in a pilot trial, which will involve using the UVC website and completing three brief surveys comprising demographic measures (pre-intervention only), depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms (generalised anxiety, panic, social anxiety), quality of life, disability/days out of role, alcohol use, help-seeking, and adherence and satisfaction (post-intervention only).
Interventions
People who are interested in participating in the trial will be directed to a website containing project information. Eligible participants will continue to complete the baseline questionnaire. Following completion of the baseline questionnaire, participants will be randomised to receive either the intervention or control condition.
The Uni Virtual Clinic (UVC) is a transdiagnostic online service that targets four major groups of mental disorders (mood, anxiety, eating, substance use) and rela
People who are interested in participating in the trial will be directed to a website containing project information. Eligible participants will continue to complete the baseline questionnaire. Following completion of the baseline questionnaire, participants will be randomised to receive either the intervention or control condition. The Uni Virtual Clinic (UVC) is a transdiagnostic online service that targets four major groups of mental disorders (mood, anxiety, eating, substance use) and related issues that commonly affect university students. It provides 1) information factsheets that describe a range of disorders, and problems that university students may face. These are accessible through the main webpage, and can also be provided in a tailored form for the individual when they use the "problem-solving" tool for particular disorders or problems, as well as the screening and feedback tools. The problem-solving tool guides users through a particular problem to find the most appropriate help available on the UVC. The identification and provision of treatment through the clinic is personalised to each user through the use of this tool. The website also contains quizzes that provide feedback for common mental health problems and issues affecting students (e.g., perfectionism, exam anxiety), and brief tools that may help with these problems (e.g., mindfulness videos, how to cope with exam anxiety audio files, pleasant events scheduling written tool for depression). Participants in the intervention condition will be instructed to use the UVC online for a period of 6 week; however, they will be free to use the website as much or as little as they choose to during this period. Given the tailored and flexible nature of the intervention, participants will be encouraged to use at least weekly, particular intervention tools (e.g. the problem solver, ongoing symptom monitoring, treatment packages) to direct their use of the intervention. Participants will be asked questions in the post-intervention survey to assess their adherence to the program.
Sponsors
Dr Louise Farrer
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
(a) elevated psychological distress (Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) score > 15), (b) current ANU student, and (c) aged over 18 years.
Exclusion criteria
No exclusion criteria
Outcome results
None listed