An Islamic Psychospiritual-Acceptance and Commitment-based Prevention Program for At-risk Young Adults in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Sponsor

International Islamic University Malaysia (Other)

Overall Status

Active, not recruiting

CT.gov ID

NCT04870385

Collaborator

International Institute of Islamic Thought (Other)

120

Enrollment

Location

Arms

3.7

Anticipated Duration (Months)

32.6

Patients Per Site Per Month

Study Details

Study Description

Brief Summary

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased mental health concerns worldwide, and young adults are at higher risk of experiencing increased psychological distress due to the pandemic. University students face compounding stressors during the pandemic, such as online and remote learning, economic insecurity, and uncertain career prospects. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an online modular prevention program featuring integrated elements of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Islamic spirituality in reducing the psychological distress and increasing the psychological flexibility, self-compassion, and resilience of Muslim university students in Malaysia.

Condition or Disease	Intervention/Treatment	Phase
Psychological Distress	Behavioral: 5-week prevention program Behavioral: Control	N/A

Study Design

Study Type:

Interventional

Anticipated Enrollment :

120 participants

Allocation:

Randomized

Intervention Model:

Parallel Assignment

Intervention Model Description:

A randomised parallel interventional study model in which there will be 2 groups, an intervention group and a waitlist control group.A randomised parallel interventional study model in which there will be 2 groups, an intervention group and a waitlist control group.

Masking:

None (Open Label)

Primary Purpose:

Prevention

Official Title:

An Islamic Psychospiritual-Acceptance and Commitment-based Prevention Program for At-Risk Young Adults in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Actual Study Start Date :

Apr 11, 2021

Actual Primary Completion Date :

Jun 25, 2021

Anticipated Study Completion Date :

Aug 1, 2021

Arms and Interventions

Arm	Intervention/Treatment
Experimental: Treatment 5-week online prevention program	Behavioral: 5-week prevention program Online modular psychological prevention program featuring integrated elements of Islamic spirituality and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
Other: Control Waitlist control	Behavioral: Control Control group waitlisted to receive prevention program after completion of final data collection.

Arm

Intervention/Treatment

Experimental: Treatment

5-week online prevention program

Behavioral: 5-week prevention program

Online modular psychological prevention program featuring integrated elements of Islamic spirituality and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

Other: Control

Waitlist control

Behavioral: Control

Control group waitlisted to receive prevention program after completion of final data collection.

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

Changes in psychological distress [Measured at pre-intervention, mid-intervention (third week of prevention program), post-intervention (up to 1-week after completion of program), and 1-month follow-up]
Measured using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21; Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Changes in psychological flexibility [Measured at pre-intervention, mid-intervention (third week of prevention program), post-intervention (up to 1-week after completion of program), and 1-month follow-up]
Measured using the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-II; Bond et al., 2011; Hayes et al., 2004).
Changes in self-compassion. [Measured at pre-intervention, mid-intervention (third week of prevention program), post-intervention (up to 1-week after completion of program), and 1-month follow-up]
Measured through the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS; Neff 2003; Neff, 2015).
Changes in resilience [Measured at pre-intervention, mid-intervention (third week of prevention program), post-intervention (up to 1-week after completion of program), and 1-month follow-up]
Measured by the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS; Smith et al., 2008).

Eligibility Criteria

Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study:

18 Years to 29 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study:

All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:

Yes

Inclusion Criteria:

Undergraduate or postgraduate student enrolled in a Malaysian university
aged 18-29 years old
Obtained moderate and above levels in either one of the stress, anxiety, and depression subscales of the DASS-21 pre-intervention assessment
Muslim
Owns a gadget with Internet access
Can read and understand English

Exclusion Criteria:

Those with previous experience with a modular ACT-based treatment with Islamic elements
Those with past or present diagnosis of mental/neurological disorder
Those reporting active suicidality
Those involved in any other form of psychological treatment (ie. psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy)