PERMA-Based Mobile Psychological Intervention With and Without Telephone Support for University Students

University of Santiago de Compostela

Status: Begins enrollment in 2 months

Conditions: Psychological Well Being; Mental Health Promotion

Treatments: Behavioral: App Based PERMA intervention plus telephone multiconference; Behavioral: App Based PERMA intervention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07466004

USC-003/2026-H

Details and patient eligibility

About

University students face increasing academic and psychosocial demands that place them at risk of reduced psychological well-being. Positive psychology interventions have demonstrated efficacy in promoting mental health; however, few are grounded explicitly in Seligman's PERMA model and adherence to digital interventions remains limited. This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the efficacy of a brief PERMA-based psychological intervention delivered via a smartphone application, with and without supplementary telephone multiconference support, compared to a waiting list control group. The intervention consists of five weekly modules targeting Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment. Assessments will be conducted at baseline, post-intervention, and at six-month follow-up.

Enrollment: 177 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Being an actively enrolled university student at the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC)
• Having access to a smartphone with an internet connection.

Exclusion criteria

• Having a current diagnosis of severe psychiatric disorder, including major depressive disorder with psychotic features, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, severe cognitive impairment, dissociative disorders, or active substance dependence
• Having started psychological or psychopharmacological treatment within the two months prior to the study or participating in another mental health-related study
• Having insufficient proficiency in Spanish, or presenting sensory, cognitive, or physical impairments that would prevent engagement with the intervention
• Planning to move out of Galicia within the next 12 months.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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177 participants in 3 patient groups

App-based PERMA intervention (PPIA)

Experimental group

Description:

Behavioral intervention delivered via smartphone app. Five weekly modules corresponding to the PERMA domains.

Treatment:

Behavioral: App Based PERMA intervention

App-based PERMA intervention plus telephone multiconference (PPIA+M)

Experimental group

Description:

Same app-based intervention supplemented by weekly 30-minute group telephone multiconference sessions.

Treatment:

Behavioral: App Based PERMA intervention plus telephone multiconference

Waiting List Control Group (WLCG)

No Intervention group

Description:

Participants receive no intervention during the study period and are granted access after completion.