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Completed

NCT Number: NCT04442854

Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy for University Students

This study developed a culturally appropriate cognitive behavioral group prevention program for Mainland Chinese university students in Hong Kong. The effects of the group prevention program on psychological distress, acculturative stress, cognitions, emotions, and post-migration growth were examined.

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Key information

Conditions

Cognitive Behavior Group Therapy Behavior Personal Satisfaction Psychological Well-Being

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Jiayan Pan

Hong Kong

About this study

Detailed description:

Previous research has found the effectiveness of group cognitive behavioral therapy in improving international students' mental health and facilitating their psychological adaptation. However, this kind of research in Chinese societies is scant and previous studies lack control group in study design. This study developed an 8-session culturally appropriate cognitive behavioral group prevention program for Mainland Chinese university students in Hong Kong. Research design of randomized controlled trial was adopted. Program effectiveness was evaluated at both cognitive and emotional levels, including psychological distress, acculturative stress, emotions, automatic thoughts, sense-making coping, core belief re-examination and post-migration growth.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Chinese students from Mainland China who were studying at local universities in Hong Kong
  • GHQ-12 score of 2 or above (0-0-1-1)
  • Willingness to participate in the study

Exclusion criteria

  • GHQ-12 score of 11 or above (0-0-1-1)
  • One or more psychotic disorders
  • Severe depression diagnosed by professionals with suicidal attempts/ideation in the past 3 months

Treatment and study plan

cognitive behavioral group therapy

Other

A 8-session cognitive behavior group intervention tailor-made for Mainland Chinese university students in Hong Kong

Primary outcomes

  1. General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12)

    Time frame: pre-test at intake interview

    12 item rating scale measuring psychological distress, scale score ranges from 0-12, with a higher score indicating a higher level of psychological distress

  2. General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12)

    Time frame: post-test at the end of the last session of the CBT group (for the experimental group), and when the experimental group finished the intervention (for the waitlist control group), respectively.

    12 item rating scale measuring psychological distress, scale score ranges from 0-12, with a higher score indicating a higher level of psychological distress

  3. General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12)

    Time frame: 3-month follow-up test three months after completing the intervention

    12 item rating scale measuring psychological distress, scale score ranges from 0-12, with a higher score indicating a higher level of psychological distress

  4. Acculturative Stress Scale for Chinese Students (ASSCS)

    Time frame: pre-test at intake interview

    35-item rating scale measuring acculturative stress, scale score ranges from 0-3, with a higher score indicating a higher level of acculturative stress

  5. Acculturative Stress Scale for Chinese Students (ASSCS)

    Time frame: post-test at the end of the last session of the CBT group (for the experimental group), and when the experimental group finished the intervention (for the waitlist control group), respectively.

    35-item rating scale measuring acculturative stress, scale score ranges from 0-3, with a higher score indicating a higher level of acculturative stress

  6. Acculturative Stress Scale for Chinese Students (ASSCS)

    Time frame: 3-month follow-up test three months after completing the intervention

    35-item rating scale measuring acculturative stress, scale score ranges from 0-3, with a higher score indicating a higher level of acculturative stress

Secondary outcomes

  1. Chinese Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (CATQ)

    Time frame: pre-test at intake interview

    14-item rating scale measuring automatic thoughts, subscale score ranges from 1-5 for the positive thought subscale and negative thought subscale

  2. Chinese Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (CATQ)

    Time frame: post-test at the end of the last session of the CBT group (for the experimental group), and when the experimental group finished the intervention (for the waitlist control group), respectively.

    14-item rating scale measuring automatic thoughts, subscale score ranges from 1-5 for the positive thought subscale and negative thought subscale

  3. Chinese Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (CATQ)

    Time frame: 3-month follow-up test three months after completing the intervention

    14-item rating scale measuring automatic thoughts, subscale score ranges from 1-5 for the positive thought subscale and negative thought subscale

  4. Post-migration Growth Scale (PMGS)

    Time frame: pre-test at intake interview

    14-item rating scale measuring personal growth after migration, scale score ranges from 1-6, with a higher score indicating a higher level of post-migration growth

  5. Post-migration Growth Scale (PMGS)

    Time frame: post-test at the end of the last session of the CBT group (for the experimental group), and when the experimental group finished the intervention (for the waitlist control group), respectively.

    14-item rating scale measuring personal growth after migration, scale score ranges from 1-6, with a higher score indicating a higher level of post-migration growth

  6. Post-migration Growth Scale (PMGS)

    Time frame: 3-month follow-up test three months after completing the intervention

    14-item rating scale measuring personal growth after migration, scale score ranges from 1-6, with a higher score indicating a higher level of post-migration growth

  7. Chinese Making Sense of Adversity Scale (CMSAS)

    Time frame: pre-test at intake interview

    12-item rating scale measuring sense-making coping strategies of Chinese people, scale score ranges from 1-6, with higher scores indicating a greater tendency to use the sense-making coping

  8. Chinese Making Sense of Adversity Scale (CMSAS)

    Time frame: post-test at the end of the last session of the CBT group (for the experimental group), and when the experimental group finished the intervention (for the waitlist control group), respectively.

    12-item rating scale measuring sense-making coping strategies of Chinese people, scale score ranges from 1-6, with higher scores indicating a greater tendency to use the sense-making coping

  9. Chinese Making Sense of Adversity Scale (CMSAS)

    Time frame: 3-month follow-up test three months after completing the intervention

    12-item rating scale measuring sense-making coping strategies of Chinese people, scale score ranges from 1-6, with higher scores indicating a greater tendency to use the sense-making coping

  10. Core Belief Inventory (CBI)

    Time frame: pre-test at intake interview

    9-item rating scale measuring core belief re-examination, scale score ranges from 0-5, with a higher score indicating a higher level of core belief re-examination

  11. Core Belief Inventory (CBI)

    Time frame: post-test at the end of the last session of the CBT group (for the experimental group), and when the experimental group finished the intervention (for the waitlist control group), respectively.

    9-item rating scale measuring core belief re-examination, scale score ranges from 0-5, with a higher score indicating a higher level of core belief re-examination

  12. Core Belief Inventory (CBI)

    Time frame: 3-month follow-up test three months after completing the intervention

    9-item rating scale measuring core belief re-examination, scale score ranges from 0-5, with a higher score indicating a higher level of core belief re-examination

  13. Chinese Affect Scale (CAS)

    Time frame: pre-test at intake interview

    20-item rating scale measuring trait and state affect of Chinese-speaking people, subscale scores range from 1-6, with a higher score indicating a higher level of positive/negative emotion

  14. Chinese Affect Scale (CAS)

    Time frame: post-test at the end of the last session of the CBT group (for the experimental group), and when the experimental group finished the intervention (for the waitlist control group), respectively.

    20-item rating scale measuring trait and state affect of Chinese-speaking people, subscale scores range from 1-6, with a higher score indicating a higher level of positive/negative emotion

  15. Chinese Affect Scale (CAS)

    Time frame: 3-month follow-up test three months after completing the intervention

    20-item rating scale measuring trait and state affect of Chinese-speaking people, subscale scores range from 1-6, with a higher score indicating a higher level of positive/negative emotion

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Hong Kong Baptist University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Cognitive Behavioral Group Prevention Program for Mainland Chinese University Students in Hong Kong

Important dates

Study start
2016
Primary completion
2018
Study completion
2018
First posted
Jun 23, 2020
Registry last updated
Sep 28, 2020

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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