Randomised Control Trial of a Low-Intensity Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy Intervention to Improve Mental Health in University Students

University students have high rates of clinical and subclinical depression and anxiety symptoms, low rates of face-to-face help-seeking, and high rates of Internet use. Low-intensity cognitive-behaviour therapy (LI-CBT) that incorporates e-resources has potential for increasing access to help by dis...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Australian psychologist 2016-04, Vol.51 (2), p.145-153
Main Authors: Stallman, Helen M, Kavanagh, David J, Arklay, Anthony R, Bennett-levy, James
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anxiety
Behavior modification
Behavior therapy
CBT
Cognition
Cognitive ability
Cognitive behavioral therapy
Cognitive therapy
Cognitive-behavioral factors
College students
Colleges & universities
connectedness
depression
Health behavior
Health status
Help seeking behavior
Internet resources
low intensity
Marketing
Mental depression
Mental health
Mental health services
Psychological distress
Self help
University students
Uptake
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Summary:University students have high rates of clinical and subclinical depression and anxiety symptoms, low rates of face-to-face help-seeking, and high rates of Internet use. Low-intensity cognitive-behaviour therapy (LI-CBT) that incorporates e-resources has potential for increasing access to help by distressed students. This article reports the first randomised controlled trial of LI-CBT in a university context, comparing it with self-help information only. Only 11% of distressed students agreed to participate in treatment, and only 58% of LI-CBT participants attended any sessions. Almost all of the 107 participants were female, with an average age of 23 and high average distress. Intention-to-treat analyses using mixed models regressions showed that LI-CBT participants had greater reductions in depression and anxiety than controls who received self-help information only, but only over the first 2 months. Correction for baseline levels eliminated these effects, although differential improvements for anxiety and stress were seen if analyses were restricted to LI-CBT participants who attended sessions. LI-CBT also resulted in differential reductions in perceived connection to the university perhaps because of greater usage of staff resources by controls. Results provide some support for a potential role for LI-CBT within universities, but suggest that marketing and engagement strategies may need refinement to maximise its uptake and impact.
ISSN:0005-0067
1742-9544
DOI:10.1111/ap.12113