Preventive Effect of a 7-Week App-Based Passive Psychoeducational Stress Management Program on Students

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Digital Health
• Intervention Science

Background:

• Passive psychoeducation offers a cost-effective, self-guided intervention.
• University students often face stress, necessitating accessible mental wellness tools.
• App-based interventions provide scalable solutions for student populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the acceptability and efficacy of a 7-week app-based passive psychoeducation program.
• To assess the program's impact on emotion regulation and coping skills in university students.
• To determine if the intervention reduces symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial with 253 university students (123 intervention, 130 control).
• Participants completed pre- and post-test measures including DASS-21, RSQ, and ERQ.
• The intervention group received weekly app-based psychoeducation modules.

Main Results:

• Significant improvement in the adaptive emotion regulation strategy of reappraisal (p = 0.004).
• Significant reduction in the dysfunctional coping style of symptom-related rumination (p = 0.01).
• No significant reduction in overall depression, anxiety, or stress scores compared to the control group.

Conclusions:

• App-based passive psychoeducation can enhance specific adaptive emotion regulation skills and reduce maladaptive coping mechanisms.
• The program shows potential as a preventive intervention for students with subclinical psychological symptoms.
• Further research is needed to explore its broader impact on clinical symptom reduction.