Self-Help for Stress Related to COVID-19

The Pennsylvania State University (PENNSTATE)

Status: Completed

Conditions: Stress

Treatments: Device: Online self-help intervention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04762173

STUDY00015766

Details and patient eligibility

About

This is a study on internet-based self-help for stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic. College and university students who score in the moderate or higher range on a stress measure during the COVID-19 pandemic will be invited to participate in this study. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive access to an internet-based self-help program for stress resilience and coping with the COVID-19 pandemic or care as usual. Stress and psychosocial symptoms will be assessed via questionnaire at baseline (pre-randomization), one month post-randomization, and three months post-randomization.

Enrollment: 585 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Moderate or higher stress as assessed using Stress subscale of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-Short Form
• Current student at a college or university in the United States
• Able to provide consent
• Proficient in English

Exclusion criteria

• Below age 18
• Failure to meet any of above inclusion criteria
• Current participant in separate randomized controlled trial being conducted by this research group examining efficacy of SilverCloud Health interventions

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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585 participants in 2 patient groups

Online self-help intervention

Experimental group

Description:

Participants are provided access to two online self-help programs provided by SilverCloud Health. One program is designed to support general stress resilience using principles and techniques from positive psychology and cognitive-behavioral therapy. The other program is designed to support coping with pandemic-related stressors using psychoeducation and cognitive-behavioral therapy and grief therapy principles. Participants have access to both programs and can proceed through them in the order and pace of their choosing. The online self-help intervention is fully self-guided.

Treatment:

Device: Online self-help intervention

Care as usual

No Intervention group

Description:

Participants are provided information about how to contact the counseling center at their college and/or in the local community using the phone number and website of their counseling center (if available), as well as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration treatment locator.