Psychological Distress
Conditions
Brief summary
Brief summary: The objective of this study is to develop an internet-based cognitive behavioral intervention program (including an online platform and a smartphone application) for Chinese university students in Hong Kong, and examine its effectiveness in reducing psychological distress, anxiety/depression symptoms, and improving emotions and automatic thoughts. The 3-month maintenance effect will also be tested.
Detailed description
Previous research has provided evidence for the effectiveness of internet-based cognitive behavioral intervention in improving mental health, but most studies were done in Western countries. This study is intended to design a culturally appropriate online program especially for Chinese university students in Hong Kong. The program will include 8 weekly sessions and one face-to-face session and one telephone follow-up with a with certified CBT therapist. The effects on psychological distress, anxiety/depression, emotions, and automatic thoughts will be tested.
Interventions
OTHERREST Online（Reduce Stress Tour Online）
Different cognitive behavioral skills are introduced and practiced in a 8 weekly online program, which includes animation briefing and debriefing, case demonstration video, exercise, forum, internal messaging, online assessment and reminder. One face-to-face session and one telephone follow-up provided by an experienced CBT therapist are also provided to clients.
Sponsors
Stockholm University
Research Grants Council, Hong Kong
Hong Kong Baptist University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
Online Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 40 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Chinese nationality * Has mild to moderate level of psychological distress * Receive no face-to-face counselling since program commencement
Exclusion criteria
* Has low/high level of psychological distress * Has one or more psychosis * Has suicidal risk in the past 3 months
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) | 3 months | 12 item rating scale for psychological distress. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) | 3 months | 21-item rating scale for depressive symptoms. |
| Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) | 3 months | 21-item rating scale for cognitive and somatic symptoms of anxiety. |
| Chinese Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (CATQ) | 3 months | 20-item rating scale for automatic thoughts. |
| Chinese Affect Scale (CAS) | 3 months | 20-item rating scale for affect state of Chinese-speaking people. |
| Electronic Learning Satisfaction Scale (ELSS) (administered at post-test only)) | 2 months | 17-item rating scale for satisfaction toward electronic learning |
Countries
Hong Kong
Outcome results
None listed