Chelsea Coon
Research Mentor(s): Elena Pokowitz
Mentor Department: Department of Psychology
Authors: Chelsea Coon, Elena Pokowitz, Patricia Deldin
Session: Session 5 (2:00pm – 2:50pm)
Presentation Type: Poster 95
Abstract
Introduction: Undergraduate college students experience high rates of mental health concerns, but many do not access care. Mood Lifters for College Students (ML-CS) is a novel intervention delivered via a series of weekly meetings addressing various topics influencing mental health. It is virtual, peer-facilitated, and cost-effective. One key contributor to psychological distress in this population is a lack of social support and connection. Objective: The current study seeks to better understand how motivation to change predicts intervention efficacy in the social domain. Additionally, this study examines which social skill modules students reported most useful in enacting change within their daily lives. Methods: 68 participants were randomly assigned to participate in a 14-week session of ML-CS. Of those, 34 participants completed the full program. Participants completed pre- and post-surveys measuring their social adjustment to college. Additionally, participants were asked about their motivation to make changes in their social life before their first group meeting. Participants provided quantitative and qualitative feedback at post-treatment. Results: Participants who reported a desire to change were more likely to show improvement in their social adjustment scores after completion of the program than their counterparts who were unclear on their motivation to change. Both groups reported on average that the “Making Connections†module was generally reported to be more helpful than the “Repairing Relationships†module. Qualitative feedback from participants was used to further contextualize results. Conclusion: Participants’ motivation to change may be related to intervention efficacy. Quantitative and qualitative feedback should be used together to improve the ML-CS program.
