Adventure-based Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Hong Kong University Students: A Randomized Controlled Study

Jia Yan Pan, Xiaoyu Zhuang*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Purpose: This study developed and evaluated an adventure-based cognitive behavioral intervention (aCBI) program to respond to the higher education mental health crisis in Hong Kong.

Methods: The aCBI program was delivered in the form of a 13-week general education (GE) course and was evaluated at pre-, post-, and 3-month follow-up. A total of 544 undergraduate students who experienced psychological distress were randomized to either the aCBI group (n = 197) or the wait-list control group (WLC) (n = 347).

Results: Compared with their WLC counterparts, the aCBI participants showed significantly stronger improvements in psychological distress, perceived stress, positive and negative emotions, and resilience at the posttest and 3-month follow-up. Positive and negative thoughts and sense-making coping partially mediated the treatment effects of aCBI.

Conclusions: The aCBI program shows promise for inclusion in higher education curriculums to bridge the mental health service gaps for Chinese university students.
Original languageEnglish
Number of pages14
JournalResearch on Social Work Practice
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 20 Mar 2023

Scopus Subject Areas

  • Psychology(all)
  • Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
  • Sociology and Political Science

User-Defined Keywords

  • adventure training
  • cognitive behavioral therapy
  • mental health
  • university students

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