A brief intervention decreases student distress

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Psychology
• Student Health

Background:

• Health professions graduate students face rising stress and anxiety.
• Elevated distress impacts academic performance, retention, and can lead to burnout.
• Institutions require effective interventions to support student well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a brief multimodal intervention in reducing distress among health professions graduate students.
• To assess the impact of cognitive-behavioural therapy, mindfulness, and healthy lifestyle choices on student well-being.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial was conducted.
• Participants received a brief intervention (cognitive-behavioural therapy, mindfulness, healthy lifestyle) or served as controls.
• The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) was used for pre- and post-intervention assessments.

Main Results:

• Both groups showed a mild to moderate decline in DASS-21 scores over time.
• No statistically significant differences were found between the intervention and control groups.
• The intervention group experienced a decline in scores approximately six weeks earlier than the control group.

Conclusions:

• The intervention appears to accelerate the reduction of student anxiety.
• The observed pattern suggests sustained benefits of the multimodal approach.
• The findings support the utility of brief interventions for managing student distress.