TY - JOUR
T1 - Efficacy of Internet-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Hong Kong University Students
T2 - A Randomized Controlled Trial
AU - Pan, Jia Yan
AU - Carlbring, Per
AU - Lu, Lucy
N1 - Funding information:
This study is financially supported by the General Research Fund in Research Grants Council in Hong Kong (Project No.: HKBU 12606118). The authors would like to thank Miss Man Shan Veron CHAN for delivering the iCBT services and Miss Lucy Lu for conducting the intake interviews for this study.
The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the Research Grants Council in Hong Kong, (grant number HKBU 12606118).
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.
PY - 2024/5/7
Y1 - 2024/5/7
N2 - Purpose: This study examined the efficacy of a 10-week internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) program “REST Online” for Hong Kong university students with mild to moderate levels of psychological distress.Method: A total of 206 Hong Kong university students were randomized into: (1) web-based and (2) app-based iCBT, and (3) waitlist control (WLC) groups.Results: Compared with the WLC group, the participants in the two iCBT groups showed a significant reduction in psychological distress, depression and anxiety symptoms, and negative thoughts and emotions, and significant increase in positive thoughts and emotions, with medium to large effect sizes. The positive effects were sustained at the 3-month follow-up test. No significant intervention effects were found between the two iCBT groups except for anxiety symptoms.Discussion: The findings were discussed in terms of program design and service delivery, and suggestions for delivering digital mental health service in Hong Kong universities were proposed.
AB - Purpose: This study examined the efficacy of a 10-week internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) program “REST Online” for Hong Kong university students with mild to moderate levels of psychological distress.Method: A total of 206 Hong Kong university students were randomized into: (1) web-based and (2) app-based iCBT, and (3) waitlist control (WLC) groups.Results: Compared with the WLC group, the participants in the two iCBT groups showed a significant reduction in psychological distress, depression and anxiety symptoms, and negative thoughts and emotions, and significant increase in positive thoughts and emotions, with medium to large effect sizes. The positive effects were sustained at the 3-month follow-up test. No significant intervention effects were found between the two iCBT groups except for anxiety symptoms.Discussion: The findings were discussed in terms of program design and service delivery, and suggestions for delivering digital mental health service in Hong Kong universities were proposed.
KW - Chinese university students
KW - internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy
KW - Mental health
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85192748072&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/10497315241252054
DO - 10.1177/10497315241252054
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85192748072
SN - 1049-7315
SP - 1
EP - 18
JO - Research on Social Work Practice
JF - Research on Social Work Practice
ER -
