Journal of Psychology & Psychotherapy
Open Access
ISSN: 2161-0487
ISSN: 2161-0487
Imen Krifa
University of Sousse, Sousse- Tunisia
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Psychol Psychother
Background: Research indicates that university students present higher levels of psychological distress (anxiety and depression…) compared to non-student age-matched youth. Anxiety and depression are even higher among healthcare students. Therefore, cost-effective large-scale interventions are needed in order to prevent further development of psychological distress during this period, and more generally. Aim: As Internet-based positive psychology interventions have been shown to be effective tools for mental health promotion in general and clinical populations, the aim of the current study was to assess the effectiveness of an 8-week Internet-based positive psychology intervention which existed in French and was shown to be effective among students. Methods: A two-armed randomized controlled trial was conducted among a sample of 366 healthcare students (183 in the experimental group and 183 in the wait-list control group), with a majority of women (94%). The average age was 20.74 years (±1.64).The participants completed the following online questionnaires at three time-points before the program, immediately after, and three months later): stress, anxiety, depression, emotional regulation, optimism, hope, study engagement, and well-being. Results: Repeated-measures ANOVA revealed significant effects of the intervention on all the measured variables for the experimental group. Conclusion: The results showed a significant improvement immediately after the intervention compared to the control group, and which was maintained three months later. This program may thus be considered as a promising means to improve students' mental health and study engagement.
Imen Krifa is a Faculty of Medicine of Sousse at Université de Sousse and a Research Investigator at Mental illness Epidemiology Research Laboratory ,Screening and Early Management, Tunisia.