Behavioral Activation Plus Savoring for University Students

Southern Methodist University

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Anhedonia; Mood; Depression

Treatments: Behavioral: Behavioral Activation plus Savoring; Behavioral: Empathic Listening

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05234476

21-118

Details and patient eligibility

About

The current investigation aims to examine whether a brief, two-session, virtual behavioral activation plus savoring intervention will increase daily positive emotion in university students.

Full description

Experiences of positive emotions are often unchanged following standard psychotherapy. To address this, the current investigation aims to enhance traditional brief behavioral activation with savoring, an emotion regulation strategy specifically targeting positive emotion, or affect, for university students endorsing low levels of the symptom. Individuals will be randomized to either a two-session behavioral activation plus savoring intervention or two sessions of empathic listening. Daily levels of positive emotions will be assessed throughout the study and for one week prior to and completing the intervention.

Enrollment: 60 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• University student
• Own a smartphone
• Positive affect score less than 32 on the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, Short Form (PANAS-SF)

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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60 participants in 2 patient groups

Behavioral Activation plus Savoring

Experimental group

Description:

Individuals in this intervention will complete two sessions of behavioral activation, where they will be provided psychoeducation on behavioral models of mood, schedule activities, and discuss barriers to completion. Additionally, they will practice savoring as a cognitive strategy to increase positive emotions with a study therapist.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Behavioral Activation plus Savoring

Empathic Listening

Active Comparator group

Description:

Individuals in the active control condition will complete two sessions of reflecting on tracking their mood and empathic listening with a study therapist.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Empathic Listening