Farrer Louise M, Gulliver Amelia, Katruss Natasha, Fassnacht Daniel B, Kyrios Michael, Batterham Philip J
Centre for Mental Health Research, The Australian National University, Australia.
Research School of Psychology, The Australian National University, Australia.
Internet Interv. 2019 Aug 28;18:100276. doi: 10.1016/j.invent.2019.100276. eCollection 2019 Dec.
Of the millions of students enrolled in university, up to 50% will experience a mental disorder. Many of these students do not seek help, and for those who do, university-based services are often over-burdened. Anonymous, evidence-based, online interventions can improve students' access to mental health support. The Uni Virtual Clinic (UVC) is a transdiagnostic online mental health program designed specifically for university students. This paper reports on a randomised controlled trial examining the effectiveness of the UVC in a sample of Australian university students.
University students with elevated psychological distress (K10>15; = 200) were randomised to the UVC intervention or a waitlist control condition for a period of 6 weeks. Baseline, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up surveys assessed depression, anxiety, self-efficacy, quality of life, adherence, and satisfaction with the UVC intervention.
Mixed models analysis demonstrated that use of the UVC was associated with small significant reductions in social anxiety and small improvements in academic self-efficacy. The program was not effective in reducing symptoms of depression, anxiety, or psychological distress compared to a control group. The majority of participants in the intervention condition who were retained at follow-up engaged with the program, and most of these participants reported satisfaction with the UVC.
The results suggest that multi-component online interventions such as the UVC have utility in a university environment. Future trials of the UVC should examine the impact of guidance and/or tailoring on treatment efficacy, and the potential role of the UVC in a stepped care model incorporating on-campus services.
在数百万注册上大学的学生中，高达50%的人会经历精神障碍。这些学生中的许多人不寻求帮助，而对于那些寻求帮助的人来说，大学提供的服务往往负担过重。匿名的、基于证据的在线干预措施可以改善学生获得心理健康支持的机会。大学虚拟诊所（UVC）是一个专门为大学生设计的跨诊断在线心理健康项目。本文报告了一项随机对照试验，该试验考察了UVC对澳大利亚大学生样本的有效性。
心理困扰程度较高（K10>15；n = 200）的大学生被随机分为UVC干预组或等待名单对照组，为期6周。基线、干预后和3个月随访调查评估了抑郁、焦虑、自我效能感、生活质量、依从性以及对UVC干预的满意度。
混合模型分析表明，使用UVC与社交焦虑的小幅显著降低以及学业自我效能感的小幅改善有关。与对照组相比，该项目在减轻抑郁、焦虑或心理困扰症状方面无效。随访时仍参与干预组的大多数参与者参与了该项目，并且这些参与者中的大多数对UVC表示满意。
结果表明，像UVC这样的多成分在线干预措施在大学环境中有实用价值。UVC的未来试验应考察指导和/或个性化对治疗效果的影响，以及UVC在纳入校园服务的阶梯式护理模式中的潜在作用。
