Feasibility and acceptability of a guided internet-based stress management intervention for university students with high levels of stress: Protocol for an open trial (Preprint)

BACKGROUND More than half of university students have high levels of stress. Stress management programs can help students improve coping skills and prevent psychological distress. However, studies have generally targeted all university students regardless of whether they experience high levels of stress or not, and thus more studies are needed to examine the feasibility and acceptability of e-health interventions for students with elevated stress. OBJECTIVE The present open trial aims to examine the feasibility and acceptability of a guided internet-based stress management program for university students with high levels of stress. METHODS In this study, participants are recruited via e-mail, newsletters, and flyers from four universities in the Netherlands to participate in a guided internet-based stress management program. Guidance is delivered by e-coaches who provide weekly asynchronous text-based motivational feedback after each module is completed. Primary outcomes are satisfaction with the intervention, assessed by the Client Satisfaction Scale (CSQ-8), and usability, assessed by the System Usability Scale (SUS-10). Secondary outcomes are perceived stress, quality of life, and depression, assessed by the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), the EuroQol- 5 Dimension- 5 Level Scale (EQ- 5D- 5L), and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) respectively. Adherence rates to the program are assessed by examining the number of completed modules, time spent on the platform, and completed exercises. RESULTS The Caring Universities Project was funded in (September 2019). In June 2020, the project was officially announced to the students and recruitment began immediately. As of September 2020, recruitment continues. The expected date of the publication of the results is in 2021. CONCLUSIONS It is expected that the results of the proposed study will be informative for designing and implementing e-health interventions in higher education. Moreover, it is assumed that the findings will contribute to the growing literature on internet interventions by yielding preliminary evidence related to the feasibility and acceptability of an online stress management program. CLINICALTRIAL Netherlands Trial Register NL8686; https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/8686