Study of Student Flourishing

A Multi-Institutional Longitudinal Randomized Controlled Trial of Student Well-Being Using the Flourish App

The goal of this study is to learn how a science-based mobile app, called Flourish, affects student well-being.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. Does receiving access to the Flourish app increase well-being (e.g., positive affect, loneliness, belonging) among students?
2. Does using the Flourish app in combination with a human buddy/friend lead to better outcomes than using the app alone?

Researchers will compare three different groups to see if and how the Flourish app works to improve student well-being:

1. Waitlist Control Group: Students continue with existing school resources.
2. Flourish App Group: Students use the Flourish app (a digital toolkit and AI chatbot) twice per week.
3. Flourish App + Buddy Group: Students use the Flourish app twice per week with someone else as a "Flourish Buddy".

Participants will:

Be randomly assigned to one of the three groups listed above. Use the app or continue with regular resources for 6 weeks. Complete four short online surveys about their well-being (at the beginning, during the 6 weeks, and at the end).

Inclusion Criteria:

• Currently a student at one of the participating institutions
• Age 18 or older
• Able to provide informed consent