Behavioral Activation Plus Savoring for University Students

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Behavioral Activation Plus Savoring for University Students With Positive Valence Dysregulation

The current investigation aims to examine whether a brief, two-session, virtual behavioral activation plus savoring intervention will increase daily positive emotion in university students.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Depression; Anhedonia; Mood
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Behavioral Activation plus Savoring; Behavioral: Empathic Listening

Detailed Description

Experiences of positive emotions are often unchanged following standard psychotherapy. To address this, the current investigation aims to enhance traditional brief behavioral activation with savoring, an emotion regulation strategy specifically targeting positive emotion, or affect, for university students endorsing low levels of the symptom. Individuals will be randomized to either a two-session behavioral activation plus savoring intervention or two sessions of empathic listening. Daily levels of positive emotions will be assessed throughout the study and for one week prior to and completing the intervention.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 60
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Divya Kumar, M.A.; Phone Number: 2147681767; Email: divyak@smu.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Texas
    • Dallas, Texas, United States, 75206
      • Recruiting
      • Southern Methodist University
      • Contact: Divya Kumar; Phone Number: 972-953-9445; Email: divyak@smu.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• University student
• Own a smartphone
• Positive affect score less than 32 on the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, Short Form (PANAS-SF)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Behavioral Activation plus Savoring; Individuals in this intervention will complete two sessions of behavioral activation, where they will be provided psychoeducation on behavioral models of mood, schedule activities, and discuss barriers to completion. Additionally, they will practice savoring as a cognitive strategy to increase positive emotions with a study therapist.	Behavioral: Behavioral Activation plus Savoring; Individuals in this intervention will complete two sessions of behavioral activation, where they will be provided psychoeducation on behavioral models of mood, schedule activities, and discuss barriers to completion. Additionally, they will practice savoring as a cognitive strategy to increase positive emotions with a study therapist.
Active Comparator: Empathic Listening; Individuals in the active control condition will complete two sessions of reflecting on tracking their mood and empathic listening with a study therapist.	Behavioral: Empathic Listening; Individuals in the active control condition will complete two sessions of reflecting on tracking their mood and empathic listening with a study therapist.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Positive Emotions: Modified Differential Emotions Scale (mDES; Fredrickson et al., 2003)	Positive mood, as measured by the mDES, will be collected two times a day. Participants will be asked to rate their level of positive mood in the moment. Positive mood will be collected on a daily basis throughout the study and change in reported positive emotions will be assessed.	Change from first session to post-treatment (14 days)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)	Change in reported symptoms of positive and negative affect following the intervention	Change from baseline to post-treatment (21 days)
Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21)	Change in self-reported symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress following the intervention	Change from baseline to post-treatment (21 days)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Southern Methodist University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 6, 2021
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): June 1, 2022
• Study Completion (Anticipated): June 1, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 8, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 1, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): February 10, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 16, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 15, 2022
• Last Verified: February 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nervous System Diseases; Neurologic Manifestations; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Anhedonia
• Other Study ID Numbers: 21-118

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: Undecided

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No