RECRUITINGINTERVENTIONAL

Taking Action for College Students

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Taking Action Planning for College Students With Serious Mental Illnesses

About This Trial

The goal of this research is to investigate whether a peer-delivered illness self-management program called Taking Action can help college students with serious mental illnesses. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the experimental condition (Taking Action) or the control condition (information only). Participants in the experimental condition will attend five 2.5-hour Taking Action sessions. Participants will complete three interviews (baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up) to assess how well the program works, is liked, and benefits students clinically and academically. The investigators seek to test the following hypotheses: Compared to controls, students who do the Taking Action program will report greater improvements in mental health self-management attitudes, skills, and behaviors and will report greater improvements in mental health symptoms and recovery, and better academic outcomes.

Who May Be Eligible (Plain English)

Who May Qualify: - Currently enrolled in a 2- or 4-year postsecondary educational institution in the United States (and are able to present a valid student ID card) - Experiencing a serious mental illness, as operationalized by either: - A score of 13 or higher on the K-6 Screening Scale for serious mental illness - Self-reported psychiatric diagnosis of schizophrenia-spectrum or major affective disorder and self-reported lifetime functional impairment due to experiencing mental health challenges - 18 years of age or older - Have consistent access to a computer or smartphone and the Internet for communications - No prior WRAP or Taking Action education Who Should NOT Join This Trial: - Expected to graduate or complete their program within 2 semesters - Unable to provide willing to sign a consent form Always talk to your doctor about whether this trial is right for you.

Original Eligibility Criteria

View original clinical language

Inclusion Criteria: * Currently enrolled in a 2- or 4-year postsecondary educational institution in the United States (and are able to present a valid student ID card) * Experiencing a serious mental illness, as operationalized by either: * A score of 13 or higher on the K-6 Screening Scale for serious mental illness * Self-reported psychiatric diagnosis of schizophrenia-spectrum or major affective disorder and self-reported lifetime functional impairment due to experiencing mental health challenges * 18 years of age or older * Have consistent access to a computer or smartphone and the Internet for communications * No prior WRAP or Taking Action education Exclusion Criteria: * Expected to graduate or complete their program within 2 semesters * Unable to provide informed consent

Treatments Being Tested

BEHAVIORAL

Taking Action

Participants in the experimental condition will participate in the Taking Action intervention, which will be delivered in a small group format in 5 weekly 2.5 hour videoconferencing sessions. Taking Action will be implemented using materials available on SAMHSA's website (https://www.co.ozaukee.wi.us/DocumentCenter/View/8198/Taking-Action-A-MH-Recovery-Self-Help-Ed-Program?bidId=). The process will include an overview of key recovery and wellness concepts and the development of an individualized wellness toolbox, which is a list of skills and strategies that a person already uses or would like to use to maintain or regain wellness. Then, participants will make plans for monitoring and addressing distressing mental health symptoms. Instructional techniques will include lectures, discussions, personal examples from facilitators and participants own lives to illustrate key concepts related to self-management, individual and group exercises, and voluntary action plans between meetings.

Locations (1)

Temple University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States