Young adults experiencing distress and vulnerability related to personal identity, including sense of self, personal vocational directions, and capacity for interpersonal relatedness. Mental and Behavioural Disorders
Conditions
Interventions
The intervention, which we refer to here as Potential Selves, will be delivered in a counselling/mentoring format by trained advanced graduate students in counselling psychology and social work, over
Sponsors
University of British Columbia
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: 1. Young adults aged between 18 and 25 years, inclusive. 2. Identity-related vulnerability, defined as mild to moderate distress or difficulty in identity-related domains such as sense of self or self-concept, vocational commitment, social relationships, intimate relationships and sexuality, and self-regulatory abilities. Assessed using the the Identity Distress Scale (IDS) as having mild distress in at least three domains or moderate distress in at least two domains, along with at least moderate overall severity or impairment for more than one month in duration. 3. Capacity to provide informed consent. Prospective participants aged 18 at the time of enrolment will be screened to determine whether they meet criteria as emancipated minors (e.g. attending post-secondary education, living independently from parents, or earning their own income). 4. Verbal and written proficiency in English is required to participate in the project, due to the interactions required between mentors and participants
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: 1. Presence of a significant psychological or behavioural problem that could pose risk to the individual participant (e.g. acute psychosis, active suicidal behaviour, and marked impulsivity) 2. Being a regular patient or client in an active psychotherapy/counselling treatment, defined as attending at a frequency of biweekly or weekly or greater (does not include less-frequent supportive care, or brief crisis intervention service, or vocational consultation, or primary care). This reflects concerns regarding interference with existing therapeutic relationships and concerns regarding the internal validity of the study.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| 1. Identity distress measured using the Identity Distress Scale (IDS) at baseline, 12 weeks, and 3 months post-treatment for experimental group participants, and at baseline, 24 weeks, and 3 months post-treatment for control group participants 2. Psychological distress measured using the Borderline Symptoms List 23 (BSL-23) at baseline, 12 weeks, and 3 months post-treatment for experimental group participants, and at baseline, 24 weeks, and 3 months post-treatment for control group participants | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| 1. Individual target objectives collected at baseline for both control and experimental group participants 2. Achievement of individual target objectives measured through a target objectives goals review at 12 weeks for experimental group participants 3. Mental health disorder severity measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) at baseline, 4, 8, and 12 weeks, and 3 months post-treatment for experimental group participants, and at baseline and 24 weeks for control group participants 4. Dysfunctional individuation measured using the Dysfunctional Individuation Scale (DIS) at baseline, 12 weeks, and 3 months post-treatment for experimental group participants, and at baseline and 24 weeks for control group participants 5. Loneliness measured using the UCLA-3 Loneliness Scale at baseline, 12 weeks, and 3 months post-treatment for experimental group participants, and at baseline and 24 weeks for control group participants 6. Outcome expectancy regarding the Potential Selves intervention measured using the Outcome Expectancy Scale (OES) at baseline for both control and experimental group participants 7. Resilience measured using the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) at baseline, 12 weeks, and 3 months post-treatment for experimental group participants, and at baseline and 24 weeks for control group participants 8. Attachment measured using the Experiences in Close Relationships-Short Form (ECR-S) at baseline, 12 weeks, and 3 months post-treatment for experimental group participants, and at baseline and 24 weeks for control group participants 9. Perceived functional impairment measured using the Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS) at baseline, 12 weeks, and 3 months post-treatment for experimental group participants, and at baseline and 24 weeks for control group participants 10. Anxiety severity measured using the Genera | — |
Countries
Canada
Contacts
Public ContactSarah Woolgar
Outcome results
None listed