Meaning-centered Intervention for Internalizing Symptoms

First-year psychology students at the University of Groningen will be screened for depressive and anxiety symptoms. Those with heightened symptoms will be invited via e-mail to participate in the study. After filling out the baseline assessment online, participants will be randomly assigned to either a meaning-centered intervention condition, which will receive a meaning-centered intervention taking place approximately every four days, or a waitlist condition, which will be assigned no task. Participants in the intervention condition will follow six 1-hour online intervention sessions led by a trainer and conduct intervention-related homework assignments. The sessions can be followed in English, Dutch, or German. The intervention aims to increase participants' meaning in life and reduce their internalizing symptoms (i.e. depressive and/or anxiety symptoms). Immediately after the final session (i.e. approximately one month after the baseline assessment), participants in the intervention condition will be asked to fill in the post assessment, which includes the same questionnaires as the baseline assessment. Participants in the waitlist control will be asked to complete the post assessment one month after their baseline assessment. One month after the post assessment, participants in both conditions are asked to fill in same set of questionnaires. Waitlist participants are offered to receive the intervention sessions after the study has finished. Participants are compensated with SONA credits.

Inclusion criteria

• heightened internalizing symptoms (depressive and/or anxiety symptoms) as indicated by PHQ-4 total score of 2 or higher

Exclusion criteria

• receiving psychotherapeutic treatment for a depressive or anxiety disorder
• suicidality