the efficacy of a growth-mindset intervention for adolescents: a randomised controlled trial

Conditions: Anxiety Disorders and Symptoms; Depression, Anxiety; Adolescent - Emotional Problem

Summary: this study is exploring an animated learning resource that could be used online to promote mental health. it is computer based and delivered in a single session, lasting 30 minutes. it teaches young people about thoughts, feelings, personality and the brain, it includes ideas about "mindsets" - or beliefs about the brain - which may be helpful in day-to-day life. the investigators will use social media to recruit 14-18-year-olds to take part in our research. they will be randomly put into one of two groups - either a group who receive the online session first or a group who receive the session later (at the end of the study). the animated learning resource aims to promote and protect mental health. the investigators predict it might have some benefits for emotional wellbeing, though the investigators do not know for certain. young people who take part might learn something new or find it rewarding to know they have been part of research which could be used to help promote mental health. it is important to know that this is a research study and not a form of treatment for mental health problems.

the study will be advertised on different social media platforms and shared online by the researcher. participants will be able to click the link for more information where detailed study information will be provided and a link to the study on qualtrics. the participants will then be able to tick to consent to taking part in the research, then allocated a research identification number which will be linked to their email address. once consented demographic information will be collected and baseline measures will be administered (rcads-11; afq-y8; iptq 3 items). once baseline measures are completed the participants will be randomised by an independent source (via qualtrics) to either treatment or control (so neither participants or researchers know until after enrolment). following randomisation, those who are allocated to the treatment arm will complete 'an enhanced psychological mindset session for adolescents' online. a feasibility randomised control trial by perkins et al. (2021) demonstrated that their enhanced psychological mindset session for adolescents (which is used in this current study) is feasible, acceptable, and potentially scalable. their single session intervention (ssi) was developed specifically for adolescents and aims to promote emotional wellbeing through encouraging a "growth mindset" as research suggests those with growth mindsets who believe personal traits can change are less likely to experience mental health problems (schleider et al., 2015). in total the intervention (watching the video, questions and letter task) takes approximately 30 minutes to complete and the feasibility study took a maximum of 2 hours (including to go through information sheet, consenting process, measures and follow ups). once the intervention has been completed participants will then be contacted four weeks later for a follow up and asked to complete all measures again. at the end of the trial when all the treatment arm participants have completed the intervention, the control group will be given the link to access it. there will also be a prize draw for those who complete the follow up with a chance to win an amazon voucher (15 £10 vouchers).

Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: * ages 14-18 years old * currently in the united kingdom exclusion criteria: * not currently in the united kingdom * participants who cannot read/write english (by self-selecting to take part in the research they will be able to read english sufficiently to continue),

Keywords: growth mindset