Benjamin Pierce

Web-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Mental Health Problems in College Students A Randomized Controlled Trial

There are significant challenges in addressing the mental health needs of college students. The current study tested an acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), web-based self-help program to treat a broad range of psychological problems students struggle with. A sample of 79 college students was randomized to web-based ACT or a waitlist condition, with assessments at baseline and posttreatment. Results indicated adequate acceptability and program engagement for the ACT website. Relative to waitlist, participants receiving ACT improved on overall distress, general anxiety, social anxiety, depression, academic concerns, and positive mental health. There were no between-group effects on eating concerns, alcohol use, or hostility, or on some key ACT process of change measures. ACT participants improved more on mindful acceptance and obstruction to valued living, both of which mediated treatment outcomes. Results are discussed in the context of lessons learned with the website prototype, and areas for further research are presented.

Evaluating an adjunctive mobile app to enhance psychological flexibility in acceptance and commitment therapy

The primary aims of this study were to evaluate the feasibility and potential efficacy of a novel adjunctive mobile app designed to enhance the acquisition, strengthening, and generalization of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) skills being taught in therapy. A sample of 14 depressed/anxious clients receiving ACT used the ACT Daily app for 2 weeks in a pre–post, open trial design. Participants reported a high degree of program satisfaction. Clients significantly improved over the 2-week period on depression and anxiety symptoms as well as a range of psychological inflexibility measures. Analyses of mobile app data indicated effects of ACT Daily skill coaching on in-the-moment measures of inflexibility and symptoms, with unique effects found for acceptance and mindfulness. Adjunctive ACT mobile apps appear promising in enhancing therapy effects on psychological inflexibility and outcomes. A tailored skill coaching approach like ACT Daily based on randomly prompted assessments may be especially promising.

Do College Students Use Online Self-Help? A Survey of Intentions and Use of Mental Health Resources

ABSTRACT Online self-help may help increase the reach of mental health services for college students, but little research has examined students’ actual interest/use of these resources. An online survey of 389 college students examined intentions and use of online mental health resources as compared with other support options. Findings indicated the highest intentions/use of informal supports (e.g., parents, friends) for mental health problems and lowest intentions/use for online self-help. However, a subset of students showed a preference for online self-help over other forms of support. Participants were also more likely to request online self-help resources (21%) than in-person therapy resources (9%) when offered these options. Reported barriers were also identified for using mobile applications (apps) specifically (e.g., stigma, credibility, privacy). Overall, results suggest mixed findings and relatively low interest for use of online self-help among college students, while highlighting potential barriers that might be addressed to increase engagement.

When is experiential avoidance harmful in the moment? Examining global experiential avoidance as a moderator

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Although experiential avoidance has been shown to predict a wide range of mental health problems, there has been minimal research to-date on the more immediate effects of engaging in experiential avoidance in the moment or the moderators that predict when it is more or less harmful. METHODS An ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study was conducted with 70 undergraduate students who completed assessments three times a day, over 7 day as well as a baseline assessment of global questionnaires. RESULTS Both greater global experiential avoidance and momentary experiential avoidance independently predicted greater momentary negative affect, lower positive affect, and lower valued action. Global experiential avoidance was also a significant moderator of momentary experiential avoidance such that experiential avoidance in the moment was more strongly related to negative effects among those high in global experiential avoidance. LIMITATIONS Study limitations include a non-clinical student sample and use of unvalidated EMA items. CONCLUSIONS Overall, these results suggest engaging in experiential avoidance in the moment has more negative, immediate effects particularly among those who engage in global, inflexible patterns of experiential avoidance.

Examining the feasibility of acceptance and commitment therapy self-help for problematic pornography viewing: Results from a pilot open trial

This pilot study evaluated the feasibility of an acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) self-help program for problematic pornography viewing (PV). A sample of 19 adults seeking help for problematic PV was recruited in an open trial. Participants reported adequate program acceptability, although only 45% of those completing postassessment read at least half of the self-help book. Significant improvements on problematic PV and cognitive fusion were found over the 8-week intervention period, with effects sustaining at 8-week follow-up. Participants who read more improved more on PV problems and psychological inflexibility. Overall, an ACT self-help approach appears feasible and potentially efficacious for PV.