Writing Activities and Emotions (eWrite)

University of Pittsburgh

Status: Completed

Conditions: Healthy

Treatments: Behavioral: Active control condition; Behavioral: positive psychological intervention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04539756

STUDY20060287

Details and patient eligibility

About

The current study aims to test whether an online two-week positive psychological intervention can increase positive affect in college students. Participants will be recruited from the University of Pittsburgh undergraduate subject pool. Students will be ineligible if they are under the age of 18; currently prescribed medications for cardiac arrythmias; have a history of heart surgery, heart attack, or stroke; are currently pregnant; or currently have symptoms consistent with COVID-19. This study includes an active control arm and an intervention arm. Both arms will be required to complete writing activities every other day for two weeks. Participants in the control arm will list their daily activities, while participants in the intervention arm will complete various positive psychology activities. Questionnaires assessing mood, emotional well-being, social functioning and a few health behaviors will be administered pre- and post-intervention. The investigators aim to recruit 250 undergraduate students with the hope that at least 50 participants per group will complete the entire study.

Enrollment: 250 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Must be an undergraduate student at the University of Pittsburgh that is currently taking Introduction to Psychology.
• Must be at least 18 years old
• Not currently prescribed medications for cardiac arrythmias
• Report no history of heart surgery, heart attack, or stroke
• Not currently pregnant
• Must deny having current symptoms consistent with COVID-19.

Exclusion criteria

• If the participant does not meet the inclusion criteria.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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250 participants in 2 patient groups

Active control condition

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants in the active control condition will receive the same number of text message reminders and will complete the same number of writing activities as the intervention group. The writing activity for the active control condition will ask them to list their activities for that day.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Active control condition

Positive psychological intervention

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will be asked to complete writing activities every other day. They will choose which activity they would like to complete each day, from a menu of six different activities. Each activity is a different positive psychology exercise.

Treatment:

Behavioral: positive psychological intervention