NCT05016154

Online Psychological Group Interventions

A Randomised Controlled Trial of Online Group CBT for Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety Among University Students in South Africa

• Status: Unknown
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 400 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Stellenbosch · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The aim is to assess the effectiveness of online group CBT for reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety among university students. The investigators will conduct a four-arm randomised control trial comparing a 10-session online group CBT intervention to three mental health apps (namely SilverCloud guided, SilverCloud unguided, and Mood Flow).

Detailed description

Email invitations and information about the study will be sent to random samples of students inviting those with symptoms of depression, anxiety, or stress to join the trial. Students who express interest will be asked to complete an online consent form (providing more detailed information about the study and explaining potential risks and benefits of participation), following which they will complete a baseline assessment. Students who meet inclusion criteria will then be randomly allocated to one of four interventions. Follow-up assessments will be done at 3-, 6- and 12-months post intervention. The baseline assessment will include measures of depression and anxiety, as well as factors that could potentially predict treatment responses (such as gender, age, substance use, self-harm, adverse childhood experiences, and physical health). Follow-up assessments will include measures of depression and anxiety, as well as substance use, self-harm, and treatment seeking. The primary outcomes will be symptoms of depression and anxiety as measured by the GAD-7 and PHQ-9.

Conditions

• Depression
• Anxiety

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Online Group CBT intervention	Group of participants complete 10 weeks of Online Group CBT intervention
BEHAVIORAL	SilverCloud guided	Group of participants make use of the SilverCloud guided app
BEHAVIORAL	SilverCloud Unguided	Group of participants make use of the SilverCloud Unguided app
BEHAVIORAL	Mood Flow	Group of participants make use of the Mood Flow app

Timeline

• Start date: 2021-07-26
• Primary completion: 2022-06-01
• Completion: 2022-12-01
• First posted: 2021-08-23
• Last updated: 2021-08-23

Locations

1 site across 1 country: South Africa