MH-POWER for College Students on the Spectrum

Empowering Autistic College Students: Mental Health Skill Building at a Hispanic-Serving Institution

The purpose of this project is to determine the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a mental health skill-building and empowerment program (MH-POWER) for college students on the autism spectrum facing stress, anxiety, and depression. The program, grounded in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and habit formation, will be implemented through weekly sessions and daily practice over 8 weeks. To evaluate the program's preliminary efficacy, we will measure mental health symptoms at baseline, mid-point, post-intervention, and one-month follow-up. Positive outcomes could lead to scalable interventions.

Inclusion Criteria

• College students at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
• age 18-30 years
• self-reported autism diagnosis confirmed via Social Responsiveness Scale-2nd Edition, the gold standard to assess impairment in adults on the autism spectrum
• elevated stress, anxiety (worry, feeling overwhelmed), or depression (feeling down), confirmed using highly reliable and validated screening tools; Patient Health Questionnaire-9, General Anxiety Disorder-7, Kessler Psychological Distress Scale-10
• not currently receiving intensive psychological treatment or psychiatric medication adjustments
• must be able to speak and read English
• willing to participate in an 8-week intervention study

Exclusion criteria:

- None