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Pilot trial of a culturally-attuned internet-delivered mindfulness intervention for psychological distress among Indonesian university students

Pilot trial of a guided culturally-attuned internet-delivered mindfulness intervention for alleviating psychological distress among Indonesian university students

Status
Completed
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ANZCTR
Registry ID
ACTRN12621001411831
Enrollment
40
Registered
2021-10-20
Start date
2021-11-24
Completion date
2021-12-02
Last updated
2023-01-09

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

None listed

Brief summary

This project tests the impact of a guided culturally-attuned online mindfulness program for Indonesian university students who are experiencing psychological distress. There is strong evidence that online mindfulness programs improve psychological distress and wellbeing in English-speaking participants. However, little research has evaluated online mindfulness interventions in Low or Middle Income Countries. This pilot trial will recruit Indonesian university students. The main aim is to examine the mental health outcomes, participants adherence and engagement with the program, and completion rates. To do this we will recruit up to 30 Indonesian university students to participate. It is hypothesized that this guided culturally-attuned online mindfulness program will decrease the symptoms of psychological distress among Indonesian university students.

Interventions

This study has one intervention arm: Internet-delivered mindfulness program for Indonesian University students. The intervention consists of 4 online modules, over a 4 week intervention period. Participants access one online module each week. The intervention is self-administered, and is accessed via the online platform RedCap, and is delivered in Indonesian. Each online module takes approximately 15 minutes to read/listen to. It comprises a comic-based illustrated story and audio story about a

This study has one intervention arm: Internet-delivered mindfulness program for Indonesian University students. The intervention consists of 4 online modules, over a 4 week intervention period. Participants access one online module each week. The intervention is self-administered, and is accessed via the online platform RedCap, and is delivered in Indonesian. Each online module takes approximately 15 minutes to read/listen to. It comprises a comic-based illustrated story and audio story about a character who is experiencing psychological distress, and learns about how to practice mindfulness to improve their emotional wellbeing. The comic-based illustrations have brief written text to explain about mindfulness, with an audio narration in Indonesian to explain key concepts. After each module, the participant downloads a PDF (1-3 pages) summarising the content of the online module, and will access audio files of online mindfulness exercises. The audio exercises last 3-5 minutes each, and there are a total of 8 mindfulness audio exercises within the program. The approximate time commitment for participants is 30 minutes total per week. All participants will be provided weekly calls, lasting up to 10 minutes from a lay-counsellor. The phone calls will provide support, guidance, and encouragement to login and do the lessons. Adherence to the intervention will be measured by accessing program analytics, including module completion and self-reported questionnaires to evaluate engagement with mindfulness (e.g. weekly time spent practicing mindfulness).

Sponsors

UNSW Sydney
Lead SponsorUniversity

Study design

Allocation
Non-randomised trial
Intervention model
Single group
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

•Indonesian university students who are studying at university in Indonesia, * Ability to speak Indonesian language fluently, * aged 18 years or over. * experiencing elevated psychological distress, defined as meeting criteria for mild psychological distress and above (minimum cut-off points is 15 on stress subscale, 8 for anxiety subscale, and 10 for depression subscale, based on DASS-21) * have access to a computer and the internet

Exclusion criteria

• Current self-reported diagnosis of psychosis, substance dependence and/or a bipolar disorder • Current PTSD • Currently receiving mindfulness-based treatment or under other psychological treatment (counselling or other psychotherapy such as CBT.) • Severe depression (based on the DASS-21 depression subscale scores), and/or currently suicidal and/or recent deliberate self-harm (as determined by risk assessment during the telephone interview).

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ANZCTR · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026