Breakup Distress, Posttraumatic Growth
Conditions
Brief summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to assess the effectiveness of cognitive restructuring in reducing breakup distress and promoting personal growth among Malaysian young adults. Cognitive restructuring is a therapy skill that focuses on changing unhelpful thoughts. The main question it aims to answer is: Are there differences in their breakup distress and personal growth after receiving cognitive restructuring compared to counselling? Participants will receive five online sessions of either cognitive restructuring or counselling. Data on participants' breakup distress and personal growth will be collected before and after completion of sessions. The hypothesis is that cognitive restructuring will reduce breakup distress and increase personal growth more than counselling.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALCognitive restructuring
Five 50-60-minute videoconferencing sessions of cognitive restructuring based on Mind Over Mood: Second Edition (MOM2) (Greenberger & Padesky, 2016) and The Clinician's Guide to CBT Using MOM2 (Padesky & Greenberger, 2019) as guides. The sessions will consist of understanding the cognitive model, filling in Thought Records, and complementary coping strategies of looking for evidence, action planning, and acceptance.
BEHAVIORALSupportive counselling
Five 50-60-minute videoconferencing sessions of supportive counselling consisting of psychoeducation on breakup effects, validation of breakup experiences and emotions, introduction to deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation, and identification of existing coping strategies.
Sponsors
Michelle Choong Poh Kin
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 30 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Malaysian young adults. * Proficient in English. * Basic technological skill and resources. * Reported ongoing distress due to a breakup that occurred within the past 6 months. * Current single relationship status.
Exclusion criteria
* Consumption of psychiatric medications within past 8 weeks. * Currently receiving other psychological interventions. * Presence of significant psychotic or manic symptoms. * Severe suicide risk.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Breakup distress | BDS will be administered: 1) before the start of intervention sessions, 2) after 5 weeks of intervention sessions, and 3) 1 month after the participant's 5th (final) intervention session. | Breakup Distress Scale (BDS) (Field et al., 2009) will be used to assess breakup distress. The total score ranges from 16 to 64 with higher scores indicating higher breakup distress. |
| Posttraumatic growth | PTGI will be administered: 1) before the start of intervention sessions, 2) after 5 weeks of intervention sessions, and 3) 1 month after the participant's 5th (final) intervention session. | Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996) will be used to assess personal growth after breakup. The total score ranges from 0 to 105 with higher scores indicating higher posttraumatic growth. |
Contacts
Primary ContactMichelle Choong
Outcome results
None listed