Evaluation of a credit-bearing online administered happiness course on undergraduates’ mental well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic

Psychoeducational courses focused on positive psychology interventions have been shown to benefit student well-being. However, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying social restrictions, many educators have had to deliver their courses online. Given that online teaching presents a very different university experience for students, do psychoeducational courses provide similar well-being benefits in an online format? Here we demonstrate that despite the challenges of remote learning, first year university students (N= 166) taking an online “Science of Happiness” course during the first term experienced positive benefits to mental well-being in comparison to a wait-list control group (N=198) registered to take the course in the second term. Specifically, university students currently taking the course maintained their mental well-being over the semester relative to the wait-list control who showed a significant decline in well-being and increase in anxiety during the same period. Our findings suggest that psychoeducational courses delivered remotely can have a protective effect on well-being, even during an especially stressful time. We also observed that engagement with the course was high, though there was no evidence that this factor mediated the positive effects we observed. However, we did find evidence that prior interest in increasing well-being influenced the effects of the course; participants with lower well-being interest showed less of a benefit. Our results suggest that online psychoeducational courses might provide a relatively cheap, flexible and efficient means of providing support as part of an integrated approach to student mental well-being.

Download Full-text

Study protocol for ‘The Project About Loneliness and Social networks (PALS)’: a pragmatic, randomised trial comparing a facilitated social network intervention (Genie) with a wait-list control for lonely and socially isolated people

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2018-028718 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (8) ◽

pp. e028718 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Rebecca Band ◽

Sean Ewings ◽

Tara Cheetham-Blake ◽

Jaimie Ellis ◽

Katie Breheny ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Networks ◽

Social Network ◽

Community Setting ◽

Well Being ◽

Control Group ◽

Wait List ◽

Wait List Control ◽

Social Network Intervention ◽

Network Intervention ◽

Socially Isolated

IntroductionLoneliness and social isolation have been identified as significant public health concerns, but improving relationships and increasing social participation may improve health outcomes and quality of life. The aim of the Project About Loneliness and Social networks (PALS) study is to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a guided social network intervention within a community setting among individuals experiencing loneliness and isolation and to understand implementation of Generating Engagement in Network Involvement (Genie) in the context of different organisations.Methods and analysisThe PALS trial will be a pragmatic, randomised controlled trial comparing participants receiving the Genie intervention to a wait-list control group. Eligible participants will be recruited from organisations working within a community setting: any adult identified as socially isolated or at-risk of loneliness and living in the community will be eligible. Genie will be delivered by trained facilitators recruited from community organisations. The primary outcome will be the difference in the SF-12 Mental Health composite scale score at 6-month follow-up between the intervention and control group using a mixed effects model (accounting for clustering within facilitators and organisation). Secondary outcomes will be loneliness, social isolation, well-being, physical health and engagement with new activities. The economic evaluation will use a cost-utility approach, and adopt a public sector perspective to include health-related resource use and costs incurred by other public services. Exploratory analysis will use a societal perspective, and explore broader measures of benefit (capability well-being). A qualitative process evaluation will explore organisational and environmental arrangements, as well as stakeholder and participant experiences of the study to understand the factors likely to influence future sustainability, implementation and scalability of using a social network intervention within this context.Ethics and disseminationThis study has received NHS ethical approval (REC reference: 18/SC/0245). The findings from PALS will be disseminated widely through peer-reviewed publications, conferences and workshops in collaboration with our community partners.Trial registration numberISRCTN19193075

Download Full-text

Efficacy of the Digital Therapeutic Mobile App BioBase to Reduce Stress and Improve Mental Well-Being Among University Students: Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.17767 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Sonia Ponzo ◽

Davide Morelli ◽

Jamie M Kawadler ◽

Nicola Rose Hemmings ◽

Geoffrey Bird ◽

...

Keyword(s):

University Students ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Well Being ◽

Mobile App ◽

Control Group ◽

Full Time ◽

Digital Version ◽

Sustained Effects ◽

Mental Well Being

BACKGROUND University students in the United Kingdom are experiencing increasing levels of anxiety. A program designed to increase awareness of one’s present levels of well-being and suggest personalized health behaviors may reduce anxiety and improve mental well-being in students. The efficacy of a digital version of such a program, providing biofeedback and therapeutic content based on personalized well-being metrics, is reported here. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to test the efficacy and sustained effects of using a mobile app (BioBase) and paired wearable device (BioBeam), compared with a waitlist control group, on anxiety and well-being in university students with elevated levels of anxiety and stress. METHODS The study employed a randomized, waitlist-controlled trial with assessments at baseline, 2 weeks, postintervention (4 weeks), and follow-up (6 weeks). Participants were eligible if they were current full-time undergraduate students and (1) at least 18 years of age, (2) scored >14 points on the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 items (DASS-21) stress subscale or >7 points on the DASS-21 anxiety subscale, (3) owned an iOS mobile phone, (4) did not have any previous psychiatric or neurological conditions, (6) were not pregnant at the time of testing, and (7) were able to read and understand English. Participants were encouraged to use BioBase daily and complete at least one course of therapeutic content. A <i>P</i> value ≤.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS We found that a 4-week intervention with the BioBase program significantly reduced anxiety and increased perceived well-being, with sustained effects at a 2-week follow-up. Furthermore, a significant reduction in depression levels was found following the 4-week usage of BioBase. CONCLUSIONS This study shows the efficacy of a biofeedback digital intervention in reducing self-reported anxiety and increasing perceived well-being in UK university students. Results suggest that digital mental health interventions could constitute a novel approach to treat stress and anxiety in students, which could be combined or integrated with existing therapeutic pathways. CLINICALTRIAL Open Science Framework (OSF.io) 2zd45; https://osf.io/2zd45/

Download Full-text

Using Social Network Sites to Boost Savoring: Positive Effects on Positive Emotions

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17176407 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (17) ◽

pp. 6407

Author(s):

Sen-Chi Yu ◽

Kennon M. Sheldon ◽

Wen-Ping Lan ◽

Jia-Huei Chen

Keyword(s):

Treatment Group ◽

University Students ◽

Positive Emotions ◽

Well Being ◽

Control Group ◽

Treatment Control ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Post Test ◽

Treatment Control Group

Research has demonstrated that positive interventions (PIs) can be effective in enhancing well-being. Our study used Facebook to conduct a PI based on savoring. Sixty-one university students in Taiwan were randomly assigned to undergo a three-week savoring PI, and 61 participants were assigned to a no-treatment control group. The results showed significantly enhanced positive affect in the treatment group compared to the control group, in both a post-test and a final follow-up, but no significant differences between the two groups in negative affect. The treatment group also displayed significantly lower depression in the post-test, which was not maintained at the follow-up. These results indicate that, for university students, a savoring intervention via Facebook can be an effective way of enhancing positive emotions.

Download Full-text

Impact of Training Dementia Caregivers in Sensitivity to Nonverbal Emotion Signals

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s1041610202008256 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 25-38 ◽

Cited By ~ 63

Author(s):

Carol Magai ◽

Carl I. Cohen ◽

David Gomberg

Keyword(s):

Nursing Homes ◽

Well Being ◽

Clinical Psychologist ◽

Control Group ◽

Wait List ◽

Dementia Caregivers ◽

Wait List Control ◽

Dementia Patients ◽

Included Patient ◽

Facial Expressions Of Emotion

Ninety-one mid- to late-stage dementia patients residing in nursing homes, along with their staff caregivers, participated in a study designed to assess whether training caregivers in sensitivity to nonverbal communication could enhance mood and reduce symptoms in patients and improve psychological well-being in caregivers. Patients and staff at three nursing homes comprised three groups that were randomly assigned to either a non-verbal sensitivity group, a behavioral placebo group that received instruction in the cognitive and behavioral aspects of dementia, and a wait-list control. Training consisted of 10 one-hour sessions taught by a clinical psychologist using prepared materials. Patient measures, which were taken at baseline and at 4 three-week intervals, included patient symptomatology (depression, agitation, behavioral symptoms), as reported by the staff caregivers, and positive and negative facial expressions of emotion elicited during a face-to-face interview and coded by trained research staff. Results indicated that positive affect increased sharply during the first 6 weeks after intervention in the nonverbal group, with the placebo and wait-list controls showing no change. There was also a decline in negative affect across time for all groups. Effects with respect to patient symptomatology did not reach significance. Caregivers in both training groups showed a decline in symptomatology, whereas the wait-list control group did not.

Download Full-text

Efficacy of the Digital Therapeutic Mobile App BioBase to Reduce Stress and Improve Mental Well-Being Among University Students: Randomized Controlled Trial

JMIR mhealth and uhealth ◽

10.2196/17767 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. e17767 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sonia Ponzo ◽

Davide Morelli ◽

Jamie M Kawadler ◽

Nicola Rose Hemmings ◽

Geoffrey Bird ◽

...

Keyword(s):

University Students ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Well Being ◽

Mobile App ◽

Control Group ◽

Full Time ◽

Digital Version ◽

Sustained Effects ◽

Mental Well Being

Background University students in the United Kingdom are experiencing increasing levels of anxiety. A program designed to increase awareness of one’s present levels of well-being and suggest personalized health behaviors may reduce anxiety and improve mental well-being in students. The efficacy of a digital version of such a program, providing biofeedback and therapeutic content based on personalized well-being metrics, is reported here. Objective The aim of this study was to test the efficacy and sustained effects of using a mobile app (BioBase) and paired wearable device (BioBeam), compared with a waitlist control group, on anxiety and well-being in university students with elevated levels of anxiety and stress. Methods The study employed a randomized, waitlist-controlled trial with assessments at baseline, 2 weeks, postintervention (4 weeks), and follow-up (6 weeks). Participants were eligible if they were current full-time undergraduate students and (1) at least 18 years of age, (2) scored >14 points on the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 items (DASS-21) stress subscale or >7 points on the DASS-21 anxiety subscale, (3) owned an iOS mobile phone, (4) did not have any previous psychiatric or neurological conditions, (6) were not pregnant at the time of testing, and (7) were able to read and understand English. Participants were encouraged to use BioBase daily and complete at least one course of therapeutic content. A P value ≤.05 was considered statistically significant. Results We found that a 4-week intervention with the BioBase program significantly reduced anxiety and increased perceived well-being, with sustained effects at a 2-week follow-up. Furthermore, a significant reduction in depression levels was found following the 4-week usage of BioBase. Conclusions This study shows the efficacy of a biofeedback digital intervention in reducing self-reported anxiety and increasing perceived well-being in UK university students. Results suggest that digital mental health interventions could constitute a novel approach to treat stress and anxiety in students, which could be combined or integrated with existing therapeutic pathways. Trial Registration Open Science Framework (OSF.io) 2zd45; https://osf.io/2zd45/

Download Full-text

The Effects of Family-Based Mindfulness Intervention on ADHD Symptomology in Young Children and Their Parents: A Randomized Control Trial

Journal of Attention Disorders ◽

10.1177/1087054717743330 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 24 (5) ◽

pp. 667-680 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Herman H. M. Lo ◽

Simpson W. L. Wong ◽

Janet Y. H. Wong ◽

Jerf W. K. Yeung ◽

Eline Snel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Intervention Group ◽

Well Being ◽

Medium Effect ◽

Control Group ◽

Wait List ◽

Adhd Symptoms ◽

Wait List Control Group ◽

Wait List Control ◽

Mindfulness Intervention ◽

Family Based

Objective: The aim of the study is to investigate the feasibility of a family-based mindfulness intervention in improving children with inattention and hyperactivity symptoms. Method: A total of 100 children aged 5 to 7 years with ADHD symptoms and their parents were randomly assigned to a family-based mindfulness intervention ( n = 50) or a wait-list control group ( n = 50). Results: Families from intervention group had greater improvements in children’s ADHD symptoms, with medium effect sizes of −0.60 for inattention and −0.59 for hyperactivity; overall behaviors; and parenting stress and well-being than those in wait-list control group. Conclusion: The positive results on the child primary outcome measures have provided initial evidence of the family-based mindfulness intervention as a treatment option to ADHD. The reduction of parental stress and increase in psychological well-being has demonstrated the value of mindfulness in enhancing parent’s self-management.

Download Full-text

DigiKnowIt News: Educating youth about pediatric clinical trials using an interactive, multimedia educational website

Journal of Child Health Care ◽

10.1177/13674935211003774 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 136749352110037

Author(s):

Alison E. Parker ◽

Tracy M. Scull ◽

Abigail M. Morrison

Keyword(s):

Clinical Trials ◽

Interactive Multimedia ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Control Group ◽

Wait List ◽

Wait List Control Group ◽

Wait List Control ◽

Satisfaction Questionnaire ◽

Study Participants

Pediatric clinical trials allow for the testing of appropriate and effective treatments for children. However, some challenges exist with recruitment. This study examined the effectiveness of DigiKnowIt News, an interactive, multimedia website (which includes activities, videos, and comic books) designed to educate children about clinical trials. A randomized controlled trial was conducted in 2018 with 91 participants ( M age = 10.92 years; SD = 2.06). Participants were randomly assigned to intervention or wait-list control groups and completed questionnaires at pretest and posttest (1 week later) about their knowledge, attitudes, beliefs about clinical trials, and self-efficacy for participating in clinical trials. Participants in the intervention group received access to DigiKnowIt News between pretest and posttest and completed a satisfaction questionnaire at posttest. At the end of the study, participants in the wait-list control group were offered the option to use the website and complete a satisfaction questionnaire. At posttest, participants in the intervention group, compared to participants in the wait-list control group, had more knowledge about clinical trials and more reported confidence for participating in clinical trials. Participants reported high levels of satisfaction with DigiKnowIt News. The findings suggest that an educational website can improve factors related to increasing rates of participation in clinical trials.

Download Full-text

Postural Responses to Sudden Horizontal Perturbations in Tai Chi Practitioners

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18052692 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (5) ◽

pp. 2692

Author(s):

Jernej Sever ◽

Jan Babič ◽

Žiga Kozinc ◽

Nejc Šarabon

Keyword(s):

Tai Chi ◽

Center Of Pressure ◽

Well Being ◽

Vertical Movement ◽

Control Group ◽

Age Difference ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Postural Responses ◽

Force Increase ◽

Load Release

Tai Chi has been shown to elicit numerous positive effects on health and well-being. In this study, we examined reactive postural control after sudden unloading horizontal perturbations, which resembled situations encountered during Tai Chi. The study involved 20 participants, 10 in the Tai Chi group (age: 37.4 ± 7.8 years), who had been regularly training the push-hand technique for at least 7 years, and 10 in the control group, consisting of healthy adults (age: 28.8 ± 5.0). Perturbations were applied at three different positions (hips, shoulders, and arms) via the load-release paradigm. Twenty measurements were carried out for each perturbation position. We measured peak vertical and horizontal forces on the ground (expressed percentage of body mass (%BM)), peak center of pressure displacement and peak horizontal and vertical velocities at the knee, hip and shoulder joints. The Tai Chi group exhibited smaller increases in vertical ground reaction forces when perturbations were applied at the hips (11.5 ± 2.1 vs. 19.6 ± 5.5 %BW; p = 0.002) and the arms (14.1 ± 4.2 vs. 23.2 ± 8.4 %BW; p = 0.005). They also responded with higher horizontal force increase after hip perturbation (16.2 ± 3.2 vs. 13.1 ± 2.5 %BW; p < 0.001). Similar findings were found when observing various outcomes related to velocities of vertical movement. The Tai Chi group also showed lower speeds of backward movement of the knee (p = 0.005–0.009) after hip (0.49 ± 0.13 vs. 0.85 ± 0.14 m/s; p = 0.005) and arm perturbations (0.97 ± 0.18 vs. 1.71 ± 0.29 m/s; p = 0.005). Center of pressure displacements were similar between groups. Our study demonstrated that engaging in Tai Chi could be beneficial to reactive postural responses after sudden perturbations in a horizontal direction; however, future interventional studies are needed to directly confirm this. Moreover, because of the age difference between the groups, some confounding effects of age cannot be ruled out.

Download Full-text

Combined Memory Training: An Approach for Episodic Memory Deficits in Traumatic Brain Injury

American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology ◽

10.1044/2020_ajslp-20-00075 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 30 (2S) ◽

pp. 920-932

Author(s):

Elisabeth Cochran D'Angelo ◽

Beth A. Ober ◽

Gregory K. Shenaut

Keyword(s):

Traumatic Brain Injury ◽

Brain Injury ◽

Treatment Group ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Semantic Memory ◽

Memory Deficits ◽

Control Group ◽

Wait List ◽

Wait List Control Group ◽

Wait List Control

Purpose The study aimed to test a combination of semantic memory and traditional episodic memory therapies on episodic memory deficits in adults with traumatic brain injury. Method Twenty-five participants who had been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury and had episodic memory deficits were randomly assigned either to a combined memory treatment group ( n = 16) or to a wait-list control group ( n = 9). Before and after treatment, they completed standardized neuropsychological testing for episodic memory and related cognitive domains, including the California Verbal Learning Test–Second Edition, the Controlled Oral Word Association Test, the University of Southern California Repeatable Episodic Memory Test, the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence–Second Edition Matrices, the Test of Everyday Attention, the Memory Assessment Clinics Self-Rating Scale, the Expressive Vocabulary Test–Second Edition, and the Story Recall subtest from the Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test. In addition to a traditional episodic memory therapy, the treatment group received a novel semantic memory–focused therapy, which involved participants finding meaningful connections between diverse concepts represented by sets of two or three words. Results The treatment group demonstrated statistically significant improvement in memory for list learning tasks, and there was a significant difference from pretest to posttest between the treatment group and the wait-list control group. Clinical significance was demonstrated for the treatment group using minimally important difference calculations. Conclusion Combined memory therapy resulted in significant improvements in episodic memory, semantic memory, and attention, in comparison to no treatment. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.14049968

Download Full-text

Efficacy of ‘Foundations’, a Digital Mental Health App to Improve Mental Well-Being, during COVID-19: A Proof-of-Principle Randomised Controlled Trial (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.30976 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Silvina Catuara-Solarz ◽

Bartlomiej Skorulski ◽

Inaki Estella ◽

Claudia Avella-Garcia ◽

Sarah Shepherd ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Well Being ◽

Self Report ◽

World Health ◽

Randomised Control Trial ◽

Control Group ◽

Mental Well Being ◽

Proof Of Principle

BACKGROUND Against a long-term trend of increasing demand, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a global rise in common mental disorders. Now more than ever, there is an urgent need for scalable, evidence-based interventions to support mental well-being. OBJECTIVE The aim of this proof-of-principle study was to evaluate the efficacy of a mobile-based app in adults with self-reported symptoms of anxiety and stress in a randomised control trial that took place during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. METHODS Adults with mild to severe anxiety and moderate to high levels of perceived stress were randomised to either the intervention or control arm. Participants in the intervention arm were given access to the app, Foundations, for the duration of the 4-week study. All participants were required to self-report a range of validated measures of mental well-being (10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience scale [CD-RISC-10]; 7-item Generalised Anxiety Disorder scale [GAD-7]; Office of National Statistics Four Subjective Well-being Questions [ONS-4]; World Health Organisation-5 Well-Being Index [WHO-5]) and sleep (Minimal Insomnia Scale [MISS]) at baseline and weeks 2 and 4; and, in addition, on perceived stress weekly (10-item Perceived Stress Score [PSS]). RESULTS 136 participants completed the study and were included in the final analysis. The intervention group (n=62) showed significant improvements compared to the control group (n=74) on measures of anxiety (GAD-7 score, delta from baseline to week 2 in the intervention group: -1.35 [SD 4.43]; control group: -0.23 [SD 3.24]; t134= 1.71 , P=.04), resilience (CD-RISC score, delta from baseline to week 2 in the intervention group: 1.79 [± SD 4.08]; control group: -0.31 [± SD 3.16]; t134 -3.37, P<.001), sleep (MISS score, delta from baseline to week 2 in the intervention group: -1.16 [± SD 2.67]; control group: -0.26 [± SD 2.29]; t134= 2.13, P=.01), and mental well-being (WHO-5 score, delta from baseline to week 2 in the intervention group: 1.53 [5.30]; control group: -0.23 [± SD 4.20]; t134= -2.16, P=.02) within 2 weeks of using Foundations, with further improvements emerging at week 4. Perceived stress was also reduced within the intervention group, although the results did not reach statistical significance relative to the control group (PSS score, delta from baseline to week 2 in the intervention group: -2.94 [± SD 6.84]; control group: -2.05 [± SD 5.34]; t134= 0.84, P=.20). CONCLUSIONS This study provides proof-of-principle that the digital mental health app, Foundations, can improve measures of mental well-being, anxiety, resilience, and sleep within 2 weeks of use, with greater effects after 4 weeks. It therefore offers potential as a scalable, cost-effective, and accessible solution to enhance mental well-being, even during times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Download Full-text