Document Type
Article
Journal/Book Title/Conference
Journal of Affective Disorders
Volume
325
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Publication Date
3-15-2023
First Page
413
Last Page
420
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Abstract
Background
Depression is a significant concern among college students, who suffer at higher rates and with greater severity than the general population. Online self-help could reduce the burden currently placed on college counseling centers, and programs based in cognitive behavioral therapies (CBTs) have a strong evidence base. However, online CBTs for depression often suffer from low adherence rates. An understudied method for improving adherence in this population is offering students a choice between various CBTs.
Methods
We conducted a randomized trial with 142 students with high levels of depression, with a subset of participants randomly receiving either traditional cognitive behavioral therapy (tCBT) or acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and an additional arm who could choose between the two.
Results
Both treatments effectively reduced depression over 10 weeks, with ACT showing a slight advantage over tCBT. Surprisingly, students who were randomized to their treatment saw greater reductions in anxiety, and higher adherence to the program, than those who chose between the two.
Limitations
Our study suffered from a notable amount of dropout and our results should be considered preliminary. Our sample size was relatively small at posttreatment, limiting our ability to make strong conclusions about group differences. Additionally, further steps could have been taken to minimize the risk of bias when presenting treatment options to the choice group.
Conclusions
Our preliminary results suggest that simply providing students with an evidence-based resource may be more important than providing options and raise additional questions about the function of client preference in self-help dissemination.
Recommended Citation
Davis, Carter H.; Twohig, Michael P.; and Levin, Michael, "Choosing ACT or CBT: a Preliminary Test of Incorporating Client Preferences for Depression Treatment With College Students" (2023). Psychology Faculty Publications. Paper 2194.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/psych_facpub/2194
