Optimization of a Mobile Transdiagnostic Emotion Regulation Intervention for University Students

Optimizing a Mobile Transdiagnostic Emotion Regulation Intervention for University Students: A Micro Randomized Trial

This study will explore the functioning of a mobile transdiagnostic emotion regulation intervention designed for university students to optimize the uptake and the effectiveness of the intervention.

It is estimated that globally between 12 and 50% of all university students are affected by mental health problems, the most common ones being anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. Over the past years online-based interventions have been spotlighted by researchers and clinicians as an avenue for a better outreach and provision of low threshold interventions aimed at primary and secondary prevention of mental health problems among the university students population.

As part of a student wellbeing program at the Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), a transdiagnostic mobile intervention consisting of a suite of preventative self-guided tools is being developed. Its' goal is to help students better manage their mental health by teaching them adaptive emotional regulation strategies.

The intervention includes exercises from different therapeutic approaches, and targets transdiagnostic factors such as negative self-referential thoughts, rumination, experiences of prolonged negative emotional states, and mental health literacy. The intervention is delivered via a smartphone and consists of 20 therapeutic exercises teaching students strategies like upregulation of positive affect, staying present in the moment, cognitive defusion, relaxation and breathing techniques, and self compassion skills.

The main goals of the study are to evaluate whether the intervention and its components have the intended effects on student's emotional states as well as get insight into students' engagement patterns and experience with the intervention. This will be done by utilizing an explanatory sequential mixed methods approach combining novel methods of online-intervention assessment, specifically Micro Randomized Trials (MRT) with semi-structured interviews, which will provide information on the lived experiences of the participants with the intervention and provide explanation of the quantitative results. The results of this trial will support the optimization and further development of the mobile application that will later be evaluated for its full-scale effectiveness.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Willing to provide informed consent
• Currently enrolled as a student at the Erasmus University Rotterdam
• Own a smartphone with an active phone number
• Feel comfortable speaking and writing in the English language
• Having a score between 5 (mild) and 19 (moderately severe) on the PHQ-9

Exclusion Criteria:

Participants are not eligible for this study if they:

• Experience significant suicidal thoughts over the past month
• Have a medical diagnosis of psychosis or bipolar disorder, severe clinical depression or anxiety disorder
• Are undergoing psychopharmacological treatment or treatment with experimental drugs