Indicated web-based prevention of mental disorders in undergraduate university students

Indicated web-based prevention of mental disorders in undergraduate university students: randomised controlled trial of a web-based cognitive behavioural intervention and a web-based active control intervention for the reduction of depression and anxiety

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN15570935

Enrollment

5550

Registered

2016-02-18

Start date

2016-09-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2019-07-29

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

Conditions

Depression, anxiety, substance use disorders and eating disorders. Mental and Behavioural Disorders

Interventions

Participants are randomly allocated to one of two groups: 1. Intervention group: PLUS (Personality and Living of University Students) is a web-based intervention for the prevention of

and how to deal with difficult emotions. They were designed to help students with identifying cycles of unhelpful behaviour and breaking such cycles. Students in the prevention group can optionally do

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Current participant inclusion criteria as of 09/07/2019: 1. Students at any UK or Austrian University 2. Age at least 18 years Previous participant inclusion criteria: 1. First-year students at any UK or Austrian University 2. Age at least 18 years

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Any current common diagnosed mental disorder or history of a common mental health disorder in the past 12 months 2. Have received psychotherapeutic treatment for any common mental disorder in the past 12 months 3. Current acutely suicidality (as assessed with question 9 of the PHQ9, score > 1)

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
1. Severity of depression, as assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) 2. Severity of anxiety, as assessed by the Generalised Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7) Assessment points: baseline, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months post randomisation	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. Alcohol consumption, assessed by the AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) 2. Drug use, assessed by the DUDIT (Drug Use Disorders Identification Test) 3. Severity of eating disorders, assessed by the EDDE (Eating Disorders Diagnostics Scale) 4. Quality of life, assessed by the WHOQOL-bref (WHO Quality of Life) 5. Self-esteem, assessed using the RSE (Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale) 6. Costs of care, assessed by the CSRI (Client Service Receipt Inventory) Assessment points: baseline, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months post randomisation	—

Measure

Time frame

1. Alcohol consumption, assessed by the AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) 2. Drug use, assessed by the DUDIT (Drug Use Disorders Identification Test) 3. Severity of eating disorders, assessed by the EDDE (Eating Disorders Diagnostics Scale) 4. Quality of life, assessed by the WHOQOL-bref (WHO Quality of Life) 5. Self-esteem, assessed using the RSE (Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale) 6. Costs of care, assessed by the CSRI (Client Service Receipt Inventory) Assessment points: baseline, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months post randomisation

—

Countries

Austria, United Kingdom

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 24, 2026