Feasibility and acceptability of a guided internet-based stress management intervention for university students with high levels of stress: Protocol for an open trial

BACKGROUND The number of university students experiencing stress is increasing, which often leads to adverse effects such as poor grades, academic probation, and emotional problems. Unfortunately, most of these problems remain untreated because of limited professional resources and fear of stigma. Several Web-based stress management interventions are now available for student populations, but these treatments are not yet available in Indonesia. To make treatment for stress more acceptable in Indonesia, a cultural adaptation process is needed, and part of the process is assessing the feasibility of the adapted intervention. OBJECTIVE This paper describes the first two stages of a cultural adaptation process and the protocol of a feasibility study that will assess the acceptability of a culturally adapted stress management intervention for university students in Indonesia. METHODS Focus group discussions with Indonesian university students were held, and input from Indonesian psychologists was gathered for developing the adapted intervention. A single-group feasibility study with a pre-post design will be conducted. We will recruit at minimum 50 university students who have an elevated level of stress (Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales–42 stress subscale score ≥15), identify themselves as being of Indonesian culture (eg, able to speak Bahasa Indonesia fluently), and are studying at a university in Indonesia. The primary endpoints of this study will be rates of participant satisfaction, system usability, dropout rates, and level of adherence. We will also use qualitative data to assess the adapted intervention more thoroughly. Secondary study endpoints will be quality of life, stress, anxiety, and depression levels. Feasibility parameters (eg, participant satisfaction, system usability, and level of adherence) will be summarized with descriptive statistics. Two-tailed paired within-group t tests will be used to analyze stress, anxiety, depression, and quality of life. RESULTS The enrollment of pilot study is currently ongoing. First results are expected to be ready for analysis in the second half of 2019. The project was funded as part of a PhD trajectory in 2015 by the Indonesian Endowment Fund for Education. CONCLUSIONS This is one of the first studies to assess the feasibility of a culturally adapted Web-based stress management intervention for university students in Indonesia. Strengths and limitations of the study are discussed. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPOR DERR1-10.2196/11493

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Feasibility of a web-based stress management intervention for university students in Indonesia

10.21203/rs.3.rs-796995/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Dilfa Juniar ◽

Wouter van Ballegooijen ◽

Mieke H.J. Schulte ◽

Anneke van Schaik ◽

Jan Passchier ◽

...

Keyword(s):

University Students ◽

Stress Management ◽

Drop Out ◽

Average Score ◽

Web Based ◽

Management Intervention ◽

Stress Management Intervention ◽

System Usability Scale ◽

Post Test ◽

Session Evaluations

Abstract Background University students are susceptible to excessive stress. A web-based stress management intervention holds promise to improve stress but is still at a novel stage in Indonesia. This present paper reports the feasibility of the intervention we developed ( ‘Rileks’ ) among university students in Indonesia in terms of acceptability and usability, and to propose recommendations for future improvements. Methods A single-group pre-test and post-test design was used. Participants with DASS-42 Stress scale score ≥ 15 were given access to the intervention (N= 68). The main outcome measures were the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8 (CSQ-8), the System Usability Scale (SUS), and intervention uptake. Participants’ experience in each session was evaluated using closed and open-ended questions for future improvements. Descriptive statistics were used to examine primary outcome and qualitative session evaluations. Participants’ responses to each topic of the open questions were summarized. Results The intervention was evaluated as being satisfactory (CSQ-8 average score 21.89 (SD 8.72), range 8-32). However, the intervention’s usability was still below expectation (SUS average score 62.8 (SD 14.74), range 0-100). The core modules were completed by 10 participants (14.7%) and the study drop out rate was 63.23% at post-assessment. The module content was rated generally positively with some notes for improvement covering content and technical aspects. Conclusions The study indicates that Rileks is potentially feasible for Indonesian university students. In order to be optimally applied in such context and before scaling up web-based intervention in general in Indonesia a further development and refinement are needed.

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