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Gerdes AC, Gordon NS. 6-Week student wellness program improves psychological wellbeing of students. JOURNAL OF AMERICAN COLLEGE HEALTH : J OF ACH 2024:1-5. [PMID: 38743873 DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2024.2351431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Objective: Employing a waitlist control design, the current study examined the effectiveness of a shortened version of a newly developed wellness program. Participants/Methods: Twenty-four students were randomly assigned to an experimental wellness (EW) group or a waitlist control (WLC) group. The 6-week wellness program focused on specific wellness topics (i.e., relaxation and mindfulness, yoga, gratitude and self-compassion, emotion regulation, goal setting and time management, and nutrition and movement). Both mental health and wellbeing outcomes were examined pre-post group. Results/Conclusions: Findings revealed that the EW group reported significantly improved overall psychological wellbeing, optimism, self-compassion, and satisfaction with life following the program relative to baseline, but the WLC group did not.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyson C Gerdes
- Psychology Department, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Nakia S Gordon
- Psychology Department, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
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2
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Futch W, Gordon NS, Gerdes AC. Student wellness: Interest and program ideas & pilot of a student wellness program. JOURNAL OF AMERICAN COLLEGE HEALTH : J OF ACH 2023:1-9. [PMID: 37289966 DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2023.2214241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Objective: To increase our knowledge related to student wellness programs, the current studies examined interest in wellness and wellness programs among university students and piloted a newly developed wellness program targeting students in higher education. Participants/Methods: In Study 1, 93 undergraduate students answered questions related to their wellness and mental health (e.g. psychological wellbeing, satisfaction with life, optimism, and stress) and to wellness programs (e.g. interest, barriers, duration, and topics). In Study 2, 13 undergraduate and graduate students participated in a 9-week pilot wellness program focused on specific wellness topics (e.g. relaxation, yoga, gratitude and self-compassion, and emotion regulation). Results/Conclusions: Study 1 results support a strong interest in wellness and wellness programs among undergraduate students. Study 2 results suggest that students who participated in an on-campus wellness program reported higher levels of overall psychological wellbeing and optimism and lower levels of mental health issues relative to baseline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Will Futch
- Psychology Department, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Nakia S Gordon
- Psychology Department, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Alyson C Gerdes
- Psychology Department, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
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Grégoire S, Beaulieu F, Lachance L, Bouffard T, Vezeau C, Perreault M. An online peer support program to improve mental health among university students: A randomized controlled trial. JOURNAL OF AMERICAN COLLEGE HEALTH : J OF ACH 2022:1-13. [PMID: 35943903 DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2022.2099224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2021] [Revised: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Despite recent calls for more peer support initiatives aimed at promoting mental health in postsecondary institutions, those initiatives remain scarce. In this study, a multisite randomized controlled trial was designed to assess the effect of an online peer support intervention based on acceptance and commitment therapy using mental health and school indicators. Undergraduate students were recruited in three Canadian universities and randomly assigned to an intervention (n = 54) or a wait-list control group (n = 53). Compared to control participants, those who took part in the program self-reported reduced psychological inflexibility, stress, anxiety and depression, and increased psychological flexibility and well-being. The intervention had no effect on academic satisfaction and engagement. These results were found both in completer and intent-to-treat samples. The findings provide evidence that peer support may be a beneficial adjunct to mental health interventions offered to college and university students.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Grégoire
- Département d'éducation et pédagogie, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Frédérique Beaulieu
- Département de psychologie, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Lise Lachance
- Département d'éducation et pédagogie, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Thérèse Bouffard
- Département de psychologie, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Carole Vezeau
- Département de psychologie, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Département de psychologie, Cégep régional de Lanaudière à Joliette, Joliette, Quebec, Canada
| | - Michel Perreault
- Département de psychiatrie, Université McGill, Montréal, Québec, Canada
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Browning ME, Morena A, Gould ER, Lloyd-Richardson EE. Brief ACT for Undergraduates: A Mixed-Methods Pilot Investigation of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Delivered over Zoom. JOURNAL OF COLLEGE STUDENT PSYCHOTHERAPY 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/87568225.2022.2029659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Morgan E. Browning
- Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, North Dartmouth, MA, USA
| | - Alexandra Morena
- Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, North Dartmouth, MA, USA
| | - Evelyn R. Gould
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Morin L, Grégoire S, Lachance L. Processes of change within acceptance and commitment therapy for university students: Preliminary evidence from a randomized controlled trial. JOURNAL OF AMERICAN COLLEGE HEALTH : J OF ACH 2021; 69:592-601. [PMID: 31916919 DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2019.1705828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Revised: 07/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
This randomized controlled trial examined whether KORSA workshops indirectly influence anxiety, depression and stress symptoms among university students through their effect on two second-order psychological flexibility processes: 1) mindfulness and acceptance, and 2) commitment and behavior change. Participants: During the fall 2014 and the winter 2015 semesters, 124 students participated in the study. Methods: They were randomized to either a 4-week intervention group (n = 61) or a wait-list control group (n = 63). They completed measures of anxiety, depression, stress and psychological flexibility before and immediately after the intervention. Results: Bootstrapping-based mediation analyses showed that the intervention indirectly influenced symptoms reduction through its effect on acceptance and mindfulness processes, but not through commitment and behavior change processes. Conclusions: These initial findings suggest that contact with the present moment, acceptance, cognitive defusion and self as context are important processes of change through which KORSA workshops affect the students mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurence Morin
- Département de psychologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada
| | - Simon Grégoire
- Département d'éducation et pédagogie, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Canada
| | - Lise Lachance
- Département d'éducation et pédagogie, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Canada
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Promoting university students’ well-being and studying with an acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)-based intervention. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-021-01837-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
AbstractStudents’ poor well-being is a serious problem in higher education. In part, this problem is related to the problems in studying as poorer study skills are related to poorer well-being. Both students’ study skills and their well-being should be enhanced in higher education, but effective ways to do this are needed. The aim of this study was to explore students’ experiences of an ACT-based online, 8-week course on university students’ well-being and studying. Data were collected in two ways: a) with qualitative data consisting of learning journals (n = 97) and with b) a pre- and post-questionnaire (n = 143) during the course. The students’ scores on well-being, psychological flexibility, and time and effort management skills improved, and stress levels decreased during the course. Qualitative analyses showed that the students benefited from the course in many ways, both in terms of studying and well-being; their studying and time management skills had improved and they had learnt stress management skills and how to cope with their negative thoughts. We argue that supporting students’ well-being, as well as their study skills with ACT-based course in higher education studies, can lead to more effective studying.
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Mullen RA, Protti T, Block-Lerner J, Marks DR, Sandoz EK, Ricardo P. Curriculum-based yoga and acceptance and commitment training intervention for undergraduate students: A mixed-methods investigation. JOURNAL OF CONTEXTUAL BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcbs.2020.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Bodenlos JS, Hawes ES, Burstein SM, Arroyo KM. Association of cognitive fusion with domains of health. JOURNAL OF CONTEXTUAL BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcbs.2020.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Nedelcu A, Grégoire S. Evaluating the Implementation of an Intervention Based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in Postsecondary Institutions. JOURNAL OF COLLEGE STUDENT PSYCHOTHERAPY 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/87568225.2020.1806162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Nedelcu
- Department of Psychology Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
| | - Simon Grégoire
- Department of Education and Pedagogy, University of Quebec at Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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Miller AN, Orsillo SM. Values, acceptance, and belongingess in graduate school: Perspectives from underrepresented minority students. JOURNAL OF CONTEXTUAL BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcbs.2020.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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Aafjes-van Doorn K, Sweeney K. The effectiveness of initial therapy contact: A systematic review. Clin Psychol Rev 2019; 74:101786. [PMID: 31733564 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2019.101786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2018] [Revised: 07/17/2019] [Accepted: 09/25/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
'Initial therapy contacts', defined as (the first) 3 h or less of face-to-face psychological treatment, encompassing both the early phase of a longer therapy and one-off single session therapies, are seen as a critical phase of treatment. However, little is known about the direct effect of initial therapy contacts on change in common symptoms typically presented by patients in psychological therapy services. Our systematic literature search resulted in 35 identified empirical studies on the effect of initial therapy contacts. These studies were analyzed in three stages: 1) A systematic comparison of study characteristics using the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses; 2) A domain-based evaluation of methodological rigor of the studies, in line with Cochrane's guidelines on assessing risk of bias; 3) A narrative synthesis of reported findings. The considerable variability in therapy format (a stand-alone single session, 2 + 1 format, or initial session of multisession therapy) and study design (post/pre-post measurement, with/without control) limited comparability of studies. The quality assessment indicated that the majority of studies had relatively weak methodologies overall. Qualitative synthesis of the effectiveness results suggests that a significant proportion of patients reported benefits, including symptom change. This positive effect is especially clear when compared to no-treatment controls, and appears to be maintained at follow-up. The findings suggest that a broad range of initial therapy formats, could in itself be beneficial to patients in primary care treatment settings, and that further research is warranted.
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Grégoire S, Lachance L, Bouffard T, Dionne F. The Use of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Promote Mental Health and School Engagement in University Students: A Multisite Randomized Controlled Trial. Behav Ther 2018; 49:360-372. [PMID: 29704966 DOI: 10.1016/j.beth.2017.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2017] [Revised: 10/09/2017] [Accepted: 10/11/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this multisite randomized controlled trial was to determine whether an intervention based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) was efficacious in improving university students' psychological flexibility, mental health, and school engagement. Students were recruited in four Canadian universities and randomly assigned to an intervention (n = 72) or a wait-list control group (n = 72). Students in the intervention group took part in four 2.5-hour workshops during a 4-week period and were asked to do exercises at home (e.g., meditation, observation grids). Wait-list students received the intervention soon after the post measurements. MANCOVAs and ANCOVAs revealed that students in the intervention group showed greater psychological flexibility at postintervention than those in the control group. They also reported greater well-being and school engagement, and lower stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms. Taken together, results of this study suggest that an ACT-based intervention offers a valuable way to promote mental health and school engagement in postsecondary settings.
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Bentley KH, Boettcher H, Bullis JR, Carl JR, Conklin LR, Sauer-Zavala S, Pierre-Louis C, Farchione TJ, Barlow DH. Development of a Single-Session, Transdiagnostic Preventive Intervention for Young Adults at Risk for Emotional Disorders. Behav Modif 2017; 42:781-805. [PMID: 29029563 DOI: 10.1177/0145445517734354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive-behavioral prevention programs have demonstrated efficacy in reducing subclinical symptoms of anxiety and depression, and there is some evidence to suggest that they can lower the risk of future disorder onset. However, existing interventions tend to be relatively lengthy and target specific disorders or problem areas, both of which limit their potential for widespread dissemination. To address these limitations, we aimed to develop a single-session, transdiagnostic preventive intervention based on the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders for young adults at risk for developing anxiety and/or depressive disorders within a college setting. Results from this proof-of-concept study indicated that the intervention was viewed as highly satisfactory and acceptable. The intervention also was successful at delivering adaptive emotion management skills in its 2-hr workshop format. Future studies evaluating the efficacy of this novel transdiagnostic, emotion-focused prevention program are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate H Bentley
- 1 Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Laren R Conklin
- 5 Chalmers P. Wylie VA Ambulatory Care Center, Columbus, OH, USA
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Bistricky SL, Harper KL, Roberts CM, Cook DM, Schield SL, Bui J, Short MB. Understanding and Promoting Stress Management Practices Among College Students Through an Integrated Health Behavior Model. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH EDUCATION 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/19325037.2017.1377651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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15
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A preliminary exploration of education values, distress, and acceptance among self-identified white and non-white incoming college freshmen at a private university. JOURNAL OF CONTEXTUAL BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcbs.2017.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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