Treatment for graduate students: Blunting the emotional toll of postgraduate education

Graduate students are at greater risk of developing mental health concerns than other adults in their age group. Despite the need for care within this population, there is a lack of literature on accessible interventions designed specifically to meet the needs of graduate students. The present study examines the efficacy of a novel intervention: Mood Lifters for Graduate Students (ML-GS).

This study is a clinical trial with randomization. The sample size consisted of 131 participants. The average age was 25.95 years, and the sample was 88.5% women, 61.8% White, and 65.6% straight or heterosexual. Participants completed the same survey before and after participating in ML-GS, as well as 1-month after completing ML-GS. Three measures from those surveys were examined in this study: Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, and Perceived Stress Scale. Two-way mixed-design analyses of variance (ANOVAs) and repeated measures ANOVAs were used to analyze these data.

Results indicated that participants enrolled in ML-GS experienced significant, clinically meaningful reductions in depression, anxiety, and stress, when compared to their waitlist counterparts. The changes made during the ML-GS program were also maintained at the 1-month follow-up.

These findings suggest that ML-GS is effective in reducing depression, anxiety, and stress among graduate students. It may be a good solution for the large demand for mental health support in that population. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).