Mixed-method development and pilot evaluation of a just-in-time adaptive intervention for stress in university students
Type of research Mixed-method
Description:
Mental health issues are a significant concern among university students. Smartphone-based mobile mental health interventions could provide an accessible and effective way to reduce stress and improve mental health in this population.
An advanced type of mobile mental health intervention is the Just-in-Time Adaptive Intervention (JITAI). JITAIs are interventions that adapt to an individual’s context and needs by using decision rules to determine what intervention to provide, when, and for whom. A crucial aspect of a JITAI is the decision rule, which determines the moment and type of intervention that is provided. The decision rule determines the timing and adaptation of a JITAI by specifying which intervention option to offer, for whom, and when (i.e., under which experiences/contexts). A simple decision rule could be to provide an intervention if a person is feeling stressed, but more complicated decision rules may also be created. Besides, intervention options are important as well when constructing JITAIs. These are the concrete interventions that are given to a person. Depending on the decision rule, different interventions might be offered in different circumstances. So far, decision rules or intervention options have not been developed in a systematic way specifically for university students.
In the first part of this project, you will develop a decision rule and intervention options based on literature and theory. You will then conduct a focusgroep session with university students from the UT. The goal of the focusgroup is to co-create a decision rule and intervention options. In the second part, you will conduct a brief pilot study of 1 week with about 20 students in which the decision rule and intervention options will be tested. The pilot study will include a pre- and post evaluation of mental health symptoms as well as interviews with about 10 participants after the pilot study. The pilot study will be conducted in mPath. With this project, you will directly contribute to the development of an effective mental health support tool aimed at alleviating stress and improving mental health among university students. Your work will serve as the first step in creating a JITAI that could potentially be offered more widely to university students.
Nahum-Shani, I., Smith, S. N., Spring, B. J., Collins, L. M., Witkiewitz, K., Tewari, A., & Murphy, S. A. (2018). Just-in-time adaptive interventions (JITAIs) in mobile health: key components and design principles for ongoing health behavior support. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 1-17.