Development and initial validation of the Symptoms and Assets Screening Scale

Evaluating the effects of gratitude interventions on college student well-being

Objective: To evaluate the effects of three different gratitude interventions on college student well-being. Participants: Participants were 132 college students at a university in the northwest sampled between September 2019 and February 2020. Methods: Participants were randomly assigned to one of three gratitude interventions (journaling, reflection, app prompted reflection) or an activity-matched control group for 8 weeks and completed baseline and post-intervention assessments of well-being (e.g., satisfaction with life, happiness, resilience, depression, anxiety, and stress). Results: Participants in all three gratitude intervention groups showed improvements in well-being over time, whereas the control group did not report any such improvements. Gratitude journaling appeared to have the most significant positive impact on well-being and affective functioning. Conclusions: Gratitude interventions are simple, easy to implement, low-cost tools that can increase overall well-being and decrease negative affect, stress, and anxiety in college students.

Evaluating the Psychometric Properties and Clinical Utility of a Digital Psychosocial Self-Screening Tool (HEARTSMAP-U) for Postsecondary Students: Prospective Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

Existing screening tools for mental health issues among postsecondary students have several challenges, including a lack of standardization and codevelopment by students. HEARTSMAP-U was adapted to address these issues.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate the suitability of HEARTSMAP-U as a self-screening tool for psychosocial issues among postsecondary students by evaluating its validity evidence and clinical utility.

METHODS

A prospective cohort study was conducted with University of British Columbia Vancouver students to evaluate HEARTSMAP-U's predictive validity and convergent validity. Participating students completed baseline and 3-month follow-up assessments via HEARTSMAP-U and a clinician-administered interview.

RESULTS

In a diverse student sample (n=100), HEARTSMAP-U demonstrated high sensitivity (95%-100%) in identifying any psychiatric concerns that were flagged by a research clinician, with lower specificity (21%-25%). Strong convergent validity (r=0.54-0.68) was demonstrated when relevant domains and sections of HEARTSMAP-U were compared with those of other conceptually similar instruments.

CONCLUSIONS

This preliminary evaluation suggests that HEARTSMAP-U may be suitable for screening in the postsecondary educational setting. However, a larger-scale evaluation is necessary to confirm and expand on these findings.

HEARTSMAP-U: Adapting a Psychosocial Self-Screening and Resource Navigation Support Tool for Use by Post-secondary Students

BACKGROUND

Mental health challenges are highly prevalent in the post-secondary educational setting. Screening instruments have been shown to improve early detection and intervention. However, these tools often focus on specific diagnosable conditions, are not always designed with students in mind, and lack resource navigational support.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to describe the adaptation of existing psychosocial assessment (HEARTSMAP) tools into a version that is fit-for-purpose for post-secondary students, called HEARTSMAP-U.

METHODS

We underwent a three-phase, multi-method tool adaptation process. First, a diverse study team proposed a preliminary version of HEARTSMAP-U and its conceptual framework. Second, we conducted a cross-sectional expert review study with Canadian mental health professionals (N = 28), to evaluate the clinical validity of tool content. Third, we conducted an iterative series of six focus groups with diverse post-secondary students (N = 54), to refine tool content and language, and ensure comprehensibility and relevance to end-users.

RESULTS

The adaptation process resulted in the HEARTSMAP-U self-assessment and resource navigational support tool, which evaluates psychosocial challenges across 10 sections. In Phase two, clinician experts expressed that HEARTSMAP-U's content aligned with their own professional experiences working with students. In Phase three, students identified multiple opportunities to improve the tool's end-user relevance by calling for more "common language," such as including examples, definitions, and avoiding technical jargon.

CONCLUSIONS

The HEARTSMAP-U tool is well-positioned for further studies of its quantitative psychometric properties and clinical utility in the post-secondary educational setting.