The University of Twente has developed an online preventive self-help course 'The stories we live by Online', with additional e-mail guidance of a counselor (The stories we live by + counselor) or online with peer contact (The stories we…
ID
Source
Brief title
Condition
- Mood disorders and disturbances NEC
- Lifestyle issues
Synonym
Research involving
Sponsors and support
Intervention
Outcome measures
Primary outcome
The primary outcome measure is reduction of depressive symptoms, measured with
the CES-D. Depressive symptoms are measured at baseline and 3, 6 and 12 months
after baseline.
Secondary outcome
The secondary outcomes are improvements in health status (measured by the
EQ-VAS, subjective health and functional limitations), positive mental health
(measured by the MHC-SF), vitality (measured by the vitality subscale of the
MOS SF-36), mastery (measured with the Pearlin Mastery Scale) and social
support (measured by the SSL-12-I), and a reduction of loneliness (measured
with the loneliness Scale).
Background summary
Relevance
Within the preventive mental health care research on the effectiveness of
interventions is highly valued. Randomized clinical trials are seen as the
preferred method to demonstrate the effectiveness.
There is much interest in mental health care for courses aimed at the
prevention of mental disorders. The group course "The stories we live by" is
currently conducted by many mental health institutes in the Netherlands. If the
effectiveness of online self-help course can also be demonstrated, mental
health organizations can offer 'The stories we live by' in a cost-effective and
fast way through the Internet. 'The stories we live by Online' can also be used
by psychologists in primary mental health care. Within primary care, there is a
great need for useful and affordable online interventions that can be used by
psychologists independently. Counselors can guide participants of 'The stories
we live by Online' in an easy and fast way, because of the relatively small
time investment. In addition, it can shorten waiting times (Cuijpers &
Schuurmans, 2007). Guidance via the Internet is accessible, effective and may
reach hard-to-reach populations (Cuijpers & Schuurmans, 2007; Postel, de Jong &
de Haan, 2005; Postel, de Haan, in Huurne, Becker & de Jong, 2011; Schalken,
2010). More and more institutions within the mental health extend the existing
care with online and blended care courses. With this, organizations hope to
reach more people: people who can not be achieved with regular face-to-face
treatment.
Adults in the second half of life with depressive symptoms are currently
insufficiently reached and a course focused on dealing with depression mainly
achieves participants with severe depressive symptoms. Moreover, the threshold
for participation in a group course is high, making it difficult to reach
sufficient participants to start the course. The self-help course 'The stories
we live by Online' iseasily accessible, first because is is centered on
memories of their own lives (reminiscence). This is a recognizable, daily
activity of many adults in the second half of life. Second, participants are
recruited from a positive framework, under the motto of enhancing the mental
health instead of focusing on reducing psychological distress. In practice,
adults with mild to moderate depression are well reached by an accessible
course with such a positive approach (Fledderus, Bohlmeijer, Pieterse &
Schreurs, 2012; Westerhof, Maessen, de Bruijn & Smets, 2008). Third, an online
self-help course may reach other people, who do not want to go to a therapist
or a face-to-face group course (Cuijpers & Schuurmans, 2007; Jorm & Griffiths,
2006). Mental health problems suffer from stigma and form a barrier to seek
help from a professional (Jorm & Griffiths, 2006). In addition, people follow
the course in their own time and at their own desired location, which provides
benefits for people who work during the day and may not have time to take a
course at preset times. Moreover, it saves people time because they do not have
to travel to get to an intervention (Cuijpers & Schuurmans, 2007).
Study objective
The University of Twente has developed an online preventive self-help course
'The stories we live by Online', with additional e-mail guidance of a counselor
(The stories we live by + counselor) or online with peer contact (The stories
we live by +peer contact). The course can be followed by participants at home
in their own time. This study investigates the effects of the two variants of
the course on depressive symptoms and well-being, compared with a waiting list
control group, through a randomized controlled trial.
Primary Objective:
The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of The
stories we live by Online with counselor or fellow participants as compared to
a waitinglist control group in terms of reduction in depressive symptoms.
Secondary Objective (s):
The secondary objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of The
stories we live by Online with counselor or fellow participants as compared to
a waitinglist control group in terms of reduction in terms of increase of
(mental) health (positive mental health, vitality, mastery, social support) and
decrease loneliness. Another secondary aim of this study is to determine
whether ego-integrity and value-oriented living mediate the described effects.
Study design
A randomized, controlled intervention study with three parallel groups:
1. First experimental condition The stories we live by + counselor: the online
self-help course 'The stories we live by' with support from a counselor by
e-mail.
2. Second experimental condition The stories we live by + peer contact: the
online self-help course 'The stories we live by' with support from peers
(fellow participants).
3. Waiting list control condition: a waiting list group where the participants
receive 'The stories we live by' after 6 months (choice in support from
counselor or support from peers.
Intervention
The online self-help course is based on the self-help book "The stories we live
by," and makes use of integrative reminiscence (life review). The intervention
consists of six modules over 12 weeks. The experimental group The stories we
live by + counselor receive 2-weekly feedback and support from the counselor
via e-mail. Participants in the experimental group The stories we live by +
peer contact individually follow the course, but react on each other 2-weekly.
A peer group consists of 4 participants.
Study burden and risks
Participation in the study is expected to be without risks. The study is based
on an earlier group course and self-help course on The stories we live by,
which proved effective. In addition, participation is voluntary: the study
participants can stop at any time and if necessary, seek an alternative
treatment. Participants with severe psychological problems are strongly advised
to consult their general practitioner. The extra burden on the questionnaires
is limited to approximately 200 minutes in the experimental conditions and 150
minutes for the waiting list control group, spread over 1 year.
Drienerlolaan 5
Enschede 7522 NB
NL
Drienerlolaan 5
Enschede 7522 NB
NL
Listed location countries
Age
Inclusion criteria
- Age * 40
- The presence of mild to moderate depressive complaints (CES-D score * 10).
Exclusion criteria
-The presence of severe depressive complaints according to the M.I.N.I.
-A moderate or high risk of suicidality according to the M.I.N.I.
-Recently started with medication therapy for somberheids complaints (3 months ago).
-Receiving an ongoing psychological (self-help) treatment for depressive complaints.
-Not enough time to follow the course well.
-Poor mastery of the Dutch language (read or learning difficulties).
-No email address or no access to the internet.
Design
Recruitment
Followed up by the following (possibly more current) registration
No registrations found.
Other (possibly less up-to-date) registrations in this register
No registrations found.
In other registers
| Register | ID |
|---|---|
| CCMO | NL41224.044.12 |