Interventions for the Wellbeing of Students At the University of Helsinki
ConditionWell-Being, Psychological
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age18+
SponsorUniversity of Helsinki
About this trial
The psychological, social, and health consequences of psychological ill-being, particularly loneliness, are well-documented among students, which underlines the importance of providing adequate support. Groups 4 Health (G4H) is a promising psychosocial group intervention focused on improving well-being by supporting social connectedness and belonging.
In earlier Australian studies G4H has decreased loneliness and social anxiety and increased group memberships significantly more than treatment as usual. When compared to cognitive behavioral therapy G4H has showed continued reduction in the participants' loneliness at the end of the intervention period and in the follow-up.
Research on the G4H intervention's effectiveness outside Australia and research on the intervention's cost-effectiveness is lacking. Therefore, this clinical study investigates the feasibility, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of the G4H among the University of Helsinki students in Finland.
The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the G4H will be compared to two other active intervention groups: the well-being groups facilitated by the study psychologists at the University of Helsinki and an online course for students' well-being. Effectiveness will also be compared to students who do not participate in any well-being courses or interventions. The investigators hypothesize that all the active intervention groups promote student well-being.
Questionnaires and University of Helsinki registry data will be gathered before and after the interventions to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the interventions. The factors that influence the intervention's effectiveness and cost-effectiveness will also be studied.
In addition to these research questions, qualitative methods are used to explore the challenges and possibilities identified in the G4H-intervention regarding inclusion and equality.
Eligibility criteria
This trial accepts healthy volunteersQualifiers
Adult (age 18 and above)
Student in the University of Helsinki, Finland
Able to speak/read Finnish, Swedish, or English
Disqualifiers
None
Trial design
Design model
Parallel
Treatments tested in this trial
Groups 4 Health (G4H)
BehavioralGroups 4 Health, G4H, ("Ryhmät kuntoon") at the University of Helsinki is a manualized group intervention for the students that focuses on social connectedness and aims at improving general health and life satisfaction. G4H groups are facilitated by two psychology MA students (or licensed psychologists) carefully trained for the intervention and mentored by experienced clinical psychologists. G4H consists of five 90 minutes sessions that aim to give participants the knowledge and skills they need to effectively manage their social group memberships and identities. Each session contains exercises and discussions described in the G4H workbook that target different aspects of group life identified within the social identity model of identity change and put the Social Identity Approach to Health -model to practice. Students earn 2 ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) credits for completing the intervention.
The study psychologists' group intervention
BehavioralUniversity of Helsinki study psychology team organizes group interventions for various challenges of studying for bachelor's and master's students. These groups offer client-centered peer support facilitated by one to two study psychologists. Recurring themes in the groups include: challenges in attentiveness, independent studying, and scientific writing, as well as support for re-entering the studies after a break. The approach in the different thematic groups is largely similar: short presentations, group discussions and practices. These groups have been implemented as both face-to-face and remote meetings. One group typically lasts for a study period and comprises five to six 90 minutes sessions. Typical group size is six to 12 students.
Towards better well-being and studying -online course
BehavioralTowards better well-being and studying -online course ("Kohti parempaa opiskelua") is an optional, seven-week online course that aims to foster university students' well-being and study skills. It is available for all University of Helsinki students. The course is based on principles of Acceptance and Commitment therapy and aims to support the development of psychological flexibility. The course takes place in Moodle platform and the students earn 3 ECTS credits for completing it. This course progresses week by week and has six central themes which include individual work in practicing psychological flexibility skills as well as study skills on a weekly basis and weekly group discussion.
Treatment groups
600 Participants
are divided into 4 treatment groupsGroup A: Groups 4 Health (G4H)Experimental treatment 1 intervention
Group B: The study psychologists' group interventionActive comparator 1 intervention
Group C: Towards better well-being and studying -online courseActive comparator 1 intervention
Group D: No intervention control groupNo intervention 0 interventions
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
1
Loneliness
Loneliness is measured with the 4 and 8-item short forms of the revised University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale (ULS-4 and ULS-8, response options: 1=never, 2=rarely, 3=sometimes, 4=often, lower score means better outcome).
Time frame
1) Before the intervention, 2) During the intervention (week 3), 3) immediately after the intervention, 4) one month follow-up, 5) three months follow-up2
Depression
Symptoms of depression are assessed with the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (response options: 0=not at all, 1=several days, 2=more than half the days, 3=nearly every day, lower score means better outcome).
Time frame
1) Before the intervention, 3) immediately after the intervention 4) one month follow-up, 5) three months follow-upSecondary outcomes
1
Active group memberships
Multiple group memberships are assessed with the 4-item Exeter Identity Transition Scale (response options: 1 = strongly disagree, 7 = strongly agree, higher score means better outcome).
Time frame
1) Before the intervention, 3) immediately after the intervention 4) one month follow-up, 5) three months follow-up2
Mental well-being
Mental well-being is assessed with the 7-item Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (response options: 1=not at all, 2=rarely, 3=occasionally, 4=often, 5=all the time, higher score means better outcome).
Time frame
1) Before the intervention, 2) immediately after the intervention 3) one month follow-up, 4) three months follow-up3
General well-being
General well-being is assessed with the 14-item General Population version of the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation (response options: 0=not at all, 1=only occasionally, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=most of/all of the time, lower score means better outcome).
Time frame
1) Before the intervention, 3) immediately after the intervention 4) one month follow-up, 5) three months follow-up4
Anxiety
Symptoms of anxiety are assessed with the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire (response options: 0=not at all, 1=several days, 2=more than half the days, 3=nearly every day, lower score means better outcome).
Time frame
1) Before the intervention, 3) immediately after the intervention 4) one month follow-up, 5) three months follow-upOther outcomes
1
Mood
Mood is measured with scale from 0 (extremely bad mood) to 7 (extremely good mood)
Time frame
1) Before the intervention, 2) During the intervention (week 3), 3) immediately after the intervention, 4) one month follow-up, 5) three months follow-up2
Identification with the intervention
Identification with the intervention group is assessed with the Single-Item Social Identification -measure (response options: 1 = fully disagree, 7 = fully agree, higher score means better outcome).
Time frame
During intervention (week 3)3
Participant adherence
The number of participants consented vs the number of participants completing the intervention, attendance rate of individual sessions
Time frame
Immediately after each intervention session, during 8 weeks4
Facilitator's fidelity to the manual
To monitor fidelity to the G4H manual, the facilitators of the G4H groups will complete a short checklist at the end of each session to determine compliance to the protocol.
Time frame
Immediately after each intervention session, during 8 weeksSponsors and contacts
Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.
University of Helsinki
Lead sponsor
Strategic Research Council, Finland
Collaborator
University of Eastern Finland
Collaborator
Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare
Collaborator
Source ClinicalTrials.gov