Research Information

A randomised controlled trial of online group CBT, guided eCBT, and unguided eCBT for symptoms of depression and anxiety among tertiary students in Aotearoa, New Zealand

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Please read this information so that you can make an informed decision about participating in this study. Please ask the research team questions about any part of this project that you do not fully understand. It is important that you clearly understand what this research entails and how you could be involved. Participation is voluntary. You are also free to withdraw from the study at any point, even if you initially agree to take part.

This study is approved by the University of Otago Human Research Ethics Committee (Health).

What is this research study about?

We want to develop a screening tool to help tertiary students know what type of treatment is best for them to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Why have you been invited to participate?

You are invited to participate because you are a student who has expressed interest in receiving help with symptoms of depression or anxiety.

What will your responsibilities be?

You will need to complete a 30-minute online survey about your current level of psychological health. If you meet the study criteria and we believe you could benefit from taking part in an online therapy programme, you will be randomly assigned to one of the online therapy programmes or to the standard treatment at your place of study (e.g., student health and counselling services). We will contact you after 3, 6, and 12 months to ask you to complete a short 15-minute online follow-up assessment after the intervention.

What is in the survey?

The survey asks questions about the symptoms of mental disorders including self-harm, suicidality, and drug and alcohol use. In the first survey, you will be asked briefly about stressful recent events and childhood events including bullying and child abuse.

What are the interventions?
Self-guided ihealth programmes with a coach: You will have the choice of taking one of several online programmes to help you learn skills to manage your mental health and wellbeing. You will be supported by an online coach who will follow your progress and provide online text feedback and encouragement. Your coach will give written support and feedback within at least three days of you completing a module. 

Self-guided ihealth programmes: You will have the choice of taking one of several online programmes to help you learn skills to manage your mental health and wellbeing.

Online skills seminars: Seminars run for ten weeks with one 60-minute seminar every week. There are five different topics and you can come to as many as you can. This is a group-based course run through Zoom and you are able to keep your camera turned off, ask questions over the chat, and use a pseudonym if you would like to be anonymous. There are a range of days and times that seminars are offered.

Treatment as usual at your site: We will give you information about the options available for mental health support at the place where you study.

Will you benefit from taking part in this research?
The online interventions are designed to improve your psychological functioning and may result in a reduction in symptoms of depression and/or anxiety. We will send you a $20 gift card for completing follow-up surveys as a token thank you. You will also benefit people like you in the future - your participation will help us know who will benefit from online treatment (and who won't) so that people can get the treatment that works for them quicker.

Are there any risks involved in your taking part in this research?
There are no direct risks involved. Some people find answering questions about symptoms of mental disorders distressing for a short time. In the long term, we hope that many people will find it helpful to take part in a treatment to improve their feelings. When you take part in one of the online interventions, there are protections in place for individuals who report severe symptoms of depression or suicidality. Students identified as being at risk of serious distress will be encouraged to contact their GP to take part in face-to-face assessment and therapy, such as at student health and counselling services.

If you do not agree to take part, what alternatives do you have?
Participation in this study is optional and there are no consequences for choosing not to participate.

What data will be collected, and how will they be used?
Your survey data will be deidentified (any identifying information will be removed) and encrypted and shared with Harvard University, Boston, USA. In Aotearoa New Zealand, your data will be stored on a University of Otago computer in a de-identified format (i.e., using an ID code but no identifying information) for at least ten years.

We also ask for your permission to collect administrative information from your tertiary institution (e.g., university, Te Pūkenga) to link to your survey response. Administrative information includes information about your grades and your enrolment status. This means that we will be able to understand the effectiveness of mental disorder treatment on academic performance or dropping out of study. We will not give any information about your survey responses to your tertiary institution.

No information you share as part of the programme itself is collected for research purposes. We will not tell anyone at your university or institute about how you participate in the study, for example what programme or modules you chose to do.

What will happen in the unlikely event of some form of injury occurring as a direct result of your taking part in this research study?
There is no risk for direct injury related to your participation in this study. If, while you are taking part in this study, you tell someone that you are at risk of serious and immediate harm, then we will contact emergency services.

Will you be paid to take part in this study and are there any costs involved?
Participation in the programmes is free, there will be no costs involved.

We will send you a $20 gift card every time you complete one of three brief follow-up surveys.
 

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