TY - JOUR A1 - Scheiner, Christin A1 - Daunke, Andrea A1 - Seidel, Alexandra A1 - Mittermeier, Sabrina A1 - Romanos, Marcel A1 - Kölch, Michael A1 - Buerger, Arne T1 - LessStress - how to reduce stress in school: evaluation of a universal stress prevention in schools: study protocol of a cluster-randomised controlled trial JF - Trials N2 - Background Chronic stress is detrimental to health, and children and young people have had to cope with significantly more stress since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, stress at school and in relation to learning is a major problem in this age group. Studies in Germany have indicated that the pandemic has led to a reduced quality of life (QoL) and an increased risk for psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents. Schools are an ideal setting for interventions against stress, which is one of the strongest predictors for the development of psychosocial problems. The present study seeks to address stress by means of a short prevention training programme in schools, including emotion regulation, mindfulness, and self-compassion. In addition to information material for self-study, students should have the opportunity to actively deal with the topic of stress and develop coping strategies within a short space of time. In contrast to very long stress reduction programmes that often last several weeks, the programme is delivered in just 90 min. Methods The effectiveness of the short and economical prevention programme LessStress will be examined in a cluster-randomised controlled trial (RCT) encompassing 1894 students. At several measurement time points, students from two groups (intervention and control) will be asked about their subjectively perceived stress levels, among other aspects. Due to the clustered nature of the data, mainly multilevel analyses will be performed. Discussion In Germany, there are no nationwide universal prevention programmes for students against stress in schools, and this gap has become more evident since the outbreak of the pandemic. Universal stress prevention in schools may be a starting point to promote resilience. By dealing with stress in a healthy way, mental health can be strengthened and maintained. Moreover, to reach at-risk students at an early stage, we advocate for a stronger networking between child psychiatry and schools. KW - stress reduction KW - selfcompassion KW - mindfulness KW - emotion regulation KW - resilience KW - prevention KW - RCT KW - school KW - stress Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-300393 VL - 24 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Buerger, Arne A1 - Emser, Theresa A1 - Seidel, Alexandra A1 - Scheiner, Christin A1 - von Schoenfeld, Cornelia A1 - Ruecker, Viktoria A1 - Heuschmann, Peter U. A1 - Romanos, Marcel T1 - DUDE - a universal prevention program for non-suicidal self-injurious behavior in adolescence based on effective emotion regulation: study protocol of a cluster-randomized controlled trial JF - Trials N2 - Background Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) has become a substantial public health problem. NSSI is a high-risk marker for the development and persistence of mental health problems, shows high rates of morbidity and mortality, and causes substantial health care costs. Thus, there is an urgent need for action to develop universal prevention programs for NSSI before adolescents begin to show this dangerous behavior. Currently, however, universal prevention programs are lacking. Methods The main objective of the present study is to evaluate a newly developed universal prevention program (“DUDE – Du und deine Emotionen / You and your emotions”), based on a skills-based approach in schools, in 3200 young adolescents (age 11–14 years). The effectiveness of DUDE will be investigated in a cluster-randomized controlled trial (RCT) in schools (N = 16). All groups will receive a minimal intervention called “Stress-free through the school day” as a mental health literacy program to prevent burnout in school. The treatment group (N = 1600; 8 schools) will additionally undergo the universal prevention program DUDE and will be divided into treatment group 1 (DUDE conducted by trained clinical psychologists; N = 800; 4 schools) and treatment group 2 (DUDE conducted by trained teachers; N = 800; 4 schools). The active control group (N = 1600; 8 schools) will only receive the mental health literacy prevention. Besides baseline assessment (T0), measurements will occur at the end of the treatment (T1) and at 6- (T2) and 12-month (T3) follow-up evaluations. The main outcome is the occurrence of NSSI within the last 6 months assessed by a short version of the Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory (DSHI-9) at the 1-year follow-up (primary endpoint; T3). Secondary outcomes are emotion regulation, suicidality, health-related quality of life, self-esteem, and comorbid psychopathology and willingness to change. Discussion DUDE is tailored to diminish the incidence of NSSI and to prevent its possible long-term consequences (e.g., suicidality) in adolescents. It is easy to access in the school environment. Furthermore, DUDE is a comprehensive approach to improve mental health via improved emotion regulation. KW - universal prevention KW - NSSI KW - self-injury KW - emotion regulation KW - RCT KW - school-based prevention KW - adolescence Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-265874 VL - 23 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weber, Silvana A1 - Lorenz, Christopher A1 - Hemmings, Nicola T1 - Improving stress and positive mental health at work via an app-based intervention: a large-scale multi-center randomized control trial JF - Frontiers in Psychology N2 - Mobile health interventions (i.e., “apps”) are used to address mental health and are an increasingly popular method available to both individuals and organizations to manage workplace stress. However, at present, there is a lack of research on the effectiveness of mobile health interventions in counteracting or improving stress-related health problems, particularly in naturalistic, non-clinical settings. This project aimed at validating a mobile health intervention (which is theoretically grounded in the Job Demands-Resources Model) in preventing and managing stress at work. Within the mobile health intervention, employees make an evidence-based, personalized, psycho-educational journey to build further resources, and thus, reduce stress. A large-scale longitudinal randomized control trial, conducted with six European companies over 6 weeks using four measurement points, examined indicators of mental health via measures of stress, wellbeing, resilience, and sleep. The data were analyzed by means of hierarchical multilevel models for repeated measures, including both self-report measures and user behavior metrics from the app. The results (n = 532) suggest that using the mobile health intervention (vs. waitlist control group) significantly improved stress and wellbeing over time. Higher engagement in the intervention increased the beneficial effects. Additionally, use of the sleep tracking function led to an improvement in sleeping troubles. The intervention had no effects on measures of physical health or social community at work. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed, focusing on benefits and challenges of using technological solutions for organizations to support individuals’ mental health in the workplace. KW - stress KW - work KW - RCT KW - mental health KW - digital health KW - mobile health intervention KW - smartphone app Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-194337 SN - 1664-1078 VL - 10 IS - 2745 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Geissler, Julia A1 - Jans, Thomas A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Becker, Katja A1 - Renner, Tobias A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Döpfner, Manfred A1 - Dose, Christina A1 - Hautmann, Christopher A1 - Holtmann, Martin A1 - Jenkner, Carolin A1 - Millenet, Sabina A1 - Romanos, Marcel T1 - Individualised short-term therapy for adolescents impaired by attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder despite previous routine care treatment (ESCAadol)-Study protocol of a randomised controlled trial within the consortium ESCAlife JF - Trials N2 - Background: Despite the high persistence rate of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) throughout the lifespan, there is a considerable gap in knowledge regarding effective treatment strategies for adolescents with ADHD. This group in particular often shows substantial psychosocial impairment, low compliance and insufficient response to psychopharmacological interventions. Effective and feasible treatments should further consider the developmental shift in ADHD symptoms, comorbidity and psychosocial adversity as well as family dysfunction. Thus, individualised interventions for adolescent ADHD should comprise a multimodal treatment strategy. The randomised controlled ESCAadol study addresses the needs of this patient group and compares the outcome of short-term cognitive behavioural therapy with parent-based telephone-assisted self-help. Methods/design: In step 1, 160 adolescents aged 12 to 17 years with a diagnosis of ADHD will undergo a treatment as usual (TAU) observation phase of 1 month. In step 2, those still severely affected are randomised to the intervention group with an Individualised Modular Treatment Programme (IMTP) or a telephone-assisted self-help programme for parents (TASH) as an active control condition. The IMTP was specifically designed for the needs of adolescent ADHD. It comprises 10 sessions of individual cognitive behavioural therapy with the adolescents and/or the parents, for which participants choose three out of 10 available focus modules (e.g. organisational skills and planning, emotion regulation, problem solving and stress management, dysfunctional family communication). TASH combines a bibliotherapeutic component with 10 counselling sessions for the parents via telephone. Primary outcome is the change in ADHD symptoms in a clinician-rated diagnostic interview. Outcomes are assessed at inclusion into the study, after the TAU phase, after the intervention phase and after a further 12-week follow-up period. The primary statistical analysis will be by intention-to-treat, using linear regression models. Additionally, we will analyse psychometric and biological predictors and moderators of treatment response. Discussion: ESCAadol compares two short-term non-pharmacological interventions as cost-efficient and feasible treatment options for adolescent ADHD, addressing the specific needs and obstacles to treatment success in this group. We aim to contribute to personalised medicine for adolescent ADHD intended to be implemented in routine clinical care. KW - ADHD KW - adolescents KW - attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder KW - behaviour therapy KW - RCT KW - individualised modular treatment programme KW - telephone-assisted self-help Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-176061 VL - 19 IS - 254 ER -