Meaning-centered Intervention for Internalizing Symptoms

University of Groningen

Status: Invitation-only

Conditions: Depressive and/or Anxiety Symptoms

Treatments: Behavioral: Meaning-centered intervention for individuals who tend to feel down or anxious

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07058181

PSY-2324-S-0451

Gravitation 024.004.016 (Other Grant/Funding Number)

Details and patient eligibility

About

Young adults with internalizing symptoms will be randomly assigned to a six-session meaning-centered intervention condition or a waitlist condition. Both conditions receive the same questionnaires at baseline, post assessment (intervention condition: immediately after the final session; waitlist: four weeks after baseline), and follow-up.

The researchers hypothesize that a meaning-centered intervention for individuals with internalizing symptoms will increase participants' meaning in life and reduce their internalizing symptoms at post assessment and 4-week follow-up when compared to a waitlist condition.

Full description

First-year psychology students at the University of Groningen will be screened for depressive and anxiety symptoms. Those with heightened symptoms will be invited via e-mail to participate in the study. After filling out the baseline assessment online, participants will be randomly assigned to either a meaning-centered intervention condition, which will receive a meaning-centered intervention taking place approximately every four days, or a waitlist condition, which will be assigned no task. Participants in the intervention condition will follow six 1-hour online intervention sessions led by a trainer and conduct intervention-related homework assignments. The sessions can be followed in English, Dutch, or German. The intervention aims to increase participants' meaning in life and reduce their internalizing symptoms (i.e. depressive and/or anxiety symptoms). Immediately after the final session (i.e. approximately one month after the baseline assessment), participants in the intervention condition will be asked to fill in the post assessment, which includes the same questionnaires as the baseline assessment. Participants in the waitlist control will be asked to complete the post assessment one month after their baseline assessment. One month after the post assessment, participants in both conditions are asked to fill in same set of questionnaires. Waitlist participants are offered to receive the intervention sessions after the study has finished. Participants are compensated with SONA credits.

Enrollment: 142 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• heightened internalizing symptoms (depressive and/or anxiety symptoms) as indicated by PHQ-4 total score of 2 or higher

Exclusion criteria

• receiving psychotherapeutic treatment for a depressive or anxiety disorder
• suicidality

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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142 participants in 2 patient groups

Meaning-centered intervention

Experimental group

Description:

Participants receive a meaning-centered intervention consisting of six 1-hour online sessions led by a trainer.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Meaning-centered intervention for individuals who tend to feel down or anxious

Waitlist control

No Intervention group

Description:

No task or intervention is assigned to participants in this arm.