iCBT to Promote Emotional Well-being in University and Research Communities: Feasibility and Acceptability Study

Retention/compliance rates refer to the proportion of participants who complete the study and follow the intervention as intended.

Acceptability will be measured using the Treatment Acceptability and Adherence Scale (TAAS), a brief self-report questionnaire that evaluates the acceptability of the psychological intervention from the participant's perspective. The TAAS consists of 10 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). To maintain comparability with the original scale, total scores (ranging from 10 to 50) will be linearly rescaled to range from 10 to 70. Higher scores indicate greater acceptability and adherence.

Affect will be measured using the International Positive and Negative Affect Schedule - Short Form (I-PANAS-SF), a 10-item self-report questionnaire designed to assess positive and negative affect. It includes two subscales: Positive Affect and Negative Affect, each comprising 5 items. Participants rate each item on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (almost never) to 5 (almost always). Subscale scores range from 5 to 25. Higher scores on the Positive Affect subscale indicate greater experience of positive emotions, while higher scores on the Negative Affect subscale indicate greater experience of negative emotions. An additional, shorter 4-item version, comprising items 6, 7, 8, and 9 (the two items with the highest factor loadings for positive affect and the two with the highest loadings for negative affect), will also be used.

Life satisfaction will be measured using the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), a brief self-report questionnaire that assesses the cognitive component of subjective well-being through participants' ratings of their overall life satisfaction. The SWLS consists of 5 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). To maintain comparability with the original scale, total scores (ranging from 5 to 25) will be linearly rescaled to range from 5 to 35. Higher scores indicate greater life satisfaction. An additional, shorter 2-item version comprising items 1 and 3 (the two items with the highest factor loadings), will also be used.

Anxiety symptoms will be measured using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7), a brief self-report questionnaire that assesses the severity of anxiety symptoms experienced over the past two weeks. Each of the 7 items is rated on a 4-point Likert scale (0 = not at all to 3 = nearly every day), with total scores ranging from 0 to 21. Higher scores indicate greater severity of anxiety symptoms. GAD-2, a shorter version with 2 items, will also be used.

Depressive symptoms will be measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), a brief self-report questionnaire that assesses the severity of depressive symptoms over the past two weeks, based on DSM diagnostic criteria. Each of the 9 items is rated on a 4-point Likert scale (0 = not at all to 3 = nearly every day), with total scores ranging from 0 to 27. Higher scores indicate greater severity of depressive symptoms. PHQ-2, a shorter version with 2 items, will also be used.

Possible negative effects will be assessed using the Negative Effects Questionnaire (NEQ), a brief self-report instrument designed to evaluate negative effects experienced during or after a psychological intervention. The version used includes 20 items covering five domains: symptoms, quality, dependency, stigma, and hopelessness. Each item captures two dimensions: (1) whether the effect occurred and was attributed to the intervention, and (2) the perceived negative impact, rated on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 (not at all) to 5 (extremely). Total impact scores range from 20 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater perceived negative effects. In addition, a shorter 5-item version-comprising items 6, 11, 12, 14, and 16 (the items with the highest factor loading in each domain and retained in the NEQ-20)-will also be used.