Chatbot-based Internet Intervention for Stress Among University Students (Stressbot)
Study Details
Study Description
Brief Summary
The aim of this study is to verify the efficacy of chatbot internet intervention for reduction of stress and improvement of quality of life among university students through the enhancement of coping self-efficacy.
| Condition or Disease | Intervention/Treatment | Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
N/A |
Detailed Description
University students experience high stress levels and mental health risks. Research shows that increasing resources such as coping self-efficacy can reduce stress. Internet interventions can be successfully employed to deliver programs for improving university students' mental health.
The primary objective of this randomized controlled trial is to evaluate short- and long-term efficacy of coping self-efficacy enhancing intervention in reducing university students' stress and improving quality of life. The intervention will be delivered through a Facebook Messenger chat-bot. The secondary goal is to investigate acceptability of a chat-bot delivered intervention.
Participants will be recruited via social media and randomized to 1 of 2 groups: (1) experimental condition increasing coping self-efficacy with a 7-day program delivered through a chat-bot, or (2) waitlist control group. Outcomes include perceived stress and quality of life. Measurements will be taken at baseline (T1), immediately after intervention (T2), at 1 month follow-up (T3), and at 6 months follow-up (T4). Linear mixed effects model will be used to analyze the data.
The study aims to assess Stressbot's potential benefit for improving university students' well-being. Moreover, it will provide insight into feasibility of using chat-bots for delivering smartphone-based e-health treatments.
Study Design
Arms and Interventions
| Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
|---|---|
| Experimental: Coping Self-Efficacy Experimental condition enhancing coping self-efficacy |
Behavioral: Personal resources' enhancement: self-efficacy
Participants in this condition are asked to take part in a 7-day psychological intervention delivered through Facebook Messenger chat-bot. Each day one CBT-framed exercise aimed at coping self-efficacy enhancement is delivered. An exercise takes form 5 to 30 minutes to complete.
|
| No Intervention: Waitlist control Waitlist control condition |
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures
- Change on Perceived Stress Scale 4 (PSS-4) [Change from baseline on PSS-4 (7 days)]
The PSS-4 is a measure of perceived stress. It consists of 4 items with response scale from 0 to 4. Higher total score represents higher perceived stress.
- Change on Perceived Stress Scale 4 (PSS-4) [Change from baseline on PSS-4 (1 month)]
The PSS-4 is a measure of perceived stress. It consists of 4 items with response scale from 0 to 4. Higher total score represents higher perceived stress.
- Change on Perceived Stress Scale 4 (PSS-4) [Change from baseline on PSS-4 (6 month)]
The PSS-4 is a measure of perceived stress. It consists of 4 items with response scale from 1 to 4. Higher total score represents higher perceived stress.
- Change on Brunnsviken Brief Quality of Life Scale (BBQ) [Change from baseline on BBQ (7 days)]
The BBQ is a measure of quality of life. It consists of 12 items with response scale from 0 to 4. Higher total score represents higher quality of life.
- Change on Brunnsviken Brief Quality of Life Scale (BBQ) [Change from baseline on BBQ (1 month)]
The BBQ is a measure of quality of life. It consists of 12 items with response scale from 0 to 4. Higher total score represents higher quality of life.
- Change on Brunnsviken Brief Quality of Life Scale (BBQ) [Change from baseline on BBQ (6 months)]
The BBQ is a measure of quality of life. It consists of 12 items with response scale from 0 to 4. Higher total score represents higher quality of life.
Secondary Outcome Measures
- Coping Self-Efficacy Scale (CSES) [Change from baseline on CSES (7 days)]
The CSES is a measure of coping self-efficacy. It consists of 26 items with response scale from 1 to 10. Higher total score represents higher coping self-efficacy.
- Coping Self-Efficacy Scale (CSES) [Change from baseline on CSES (1 month)]
The CSES is a measure of coping self-efficacy. It consists of 26 items with response scale from 1 to 10. Higher total score represents higher coping self-efficacy.
- Coping Self-Efficacy Scale (CSES) [Change from baseline on CSES (6 months)]
The CSES is a measure of coping self-efficacy. It consists of 26 items with response scale from 1 to 10. Higher total score represents higher coping self-efficacy.
Eligibility Criteria
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
-
Age of at least 18 years
-
University students
-
Mobile personal device with internet access
Exclusion Criteria:
- Not meeting at least 1 inclusion criteria
Contacts and Locations
Locations
| Site | City | State | Country | Postal Code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities | Warsaw | Poland | 00-864 |
Sponsors and Collaborators
- University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Ewelina Smoktunowicz, PhD, 1Department of Psychology, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw, Poland
Study Documents (Full-Text)
None provided.More Information
Publications
- Amanvermez Y, Zhao R, Cuijpers P, de Wit LM, Ebert DD, Kessler RC, Bruffaerts R, Karyotaki E. Effects of self-guided stress management interventions in college students: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Internet Interv. 2022 Feb 12;28:100503. doi: 10.1016/j.invent.2022.100503. eCollection 2022 Apr. Review.
- Bakker D, Kazantzis N, Rickwood D, Rickard N. A randomized controlled trial of three smartphone apps for enhancing public mental health. Behav Res Ther. 2018 Oct;109:75-83. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2018.08.003. Epub 2018 Aug 11.
- Hobfoll SE. Conservation of resources. A new attempt at conceptualizing stress. Am Psychol. 1989 Mar;44(3):513-24. Review.
- Smoktunowicz E, Lesnierowska M, Carlbring P, Andersson G, Cieslak R. Resource-Based Internet Intervention (Med-Stress) to Improve Well-Being Among Medical Professionals: Randomized Controlled Trial. J Med Internet Res. 2021 Jan 11;23(1):e21445. doi: 10.2196/21445.
- Stressbot