Feasibility of Therapy Integrating Peer-sharing, Technology, Aerobic and Resistance Training (TIPSTART)
Condition: Group Meetings
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The purpose of this randomized controlled clinical trial with first-generation college
      students with symptoms of mental illness is to test the preliminary feasibility and efficacy
      of TIPSTART, a multi-faceted, mental health and exercise training program-involving 5.5 hours
      of training delivered via assistance of remote technology, a licensed therapist and certified
      exercise behavior change specialist, and supported by peer pods-relative to a group receiving
      usual care. Students will confirm they are not currently treated with medication but have
      received mental health services in the past two years, and meet symptom cutoff criteria using
      a standard field screening assessment. It is hypothesized that the 10-week training program
      initiated at the onset of an academic semester will improve students' symptoms of anxiety and
      depression. Further, it is also expected that greater physical activity, self-efficacy, and
      social and academic engagement among participants in the TIPSTART group as compared to the
      usual care condition. Finally, the potential role of TIPSTART in changes in resilience,
      self-regulatory functioning and schoolwork-life balance will be explored.
    

Detailed description: 
      First-generation college students are at risk of serious mental illness. Relative to their
      peers, they are more likely to work full time, take fewer classes, use public transportation,
      and engage less with on-campus programs. Further, they report more traumatic stress, lower
      life satisfaction and less support from parents and peers. These findings are compounded by
      nationwide estimates of rising mental health issues across college campuses, where
      nontraditional students with financial hardship and/ or care-giving burdens represent the
      majority, and counseling services are increasingly under-resourced and overburdened.
      Moreover, less than 50% of college students are meeting public health guidelines for physical
      activity participation, a health behavior known to mitigate risk and enhance mental health.

      Traditional four-year colleges and universities represent an opportunity to implement
      evidence-based mental health services, but many campuses are disconnected, low mental
      health-resource environments lacking well-coordinated programs specifically tailored for
      first-generation students, particularly cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) or programs guided
      by CBT principles, in concurrence with physical activity guidance and support. Evidence
      suggests that multimodal programs consisting of therapy integrating peer-support (in the form
      of pods), technology, aerobic plus resistance training (TIPSTART) has the potential to
      increase self-efficacy and self-regulatory strategies, utilization and maintenance of mental
      health services and behavior change techniques, and ultimately, reduce symptoms of mental
      illness. In the last decade, digital health interventions (e.g. smartphone apps) have been
      used with college-age populations to make therapy more accessible and exercise more enjoyable
      and socially-supported. App-based interventions have been successfully delivered as
      standalone interventions and have yielded positive effects on mental health outcomes,
      socio-emotional functioning and health behavior engagement.

      The purpose of this randomized controlled clinical trial is to test the feasibility and
      preliminary efficacy and implementation of TIPSTART, a multi-faceted, mental health and
      exercise training program involving 5.5 hours of supervised training delivered via assistance
      of remote technology, a therapist and exercise behavior change specialist, and supported by
      peer pods (relative to a wait-list control group who will receive usual care) among
      first-generation college students with symptoms of mental illness. Students will confirm
      receipt of mental health services in the past two years, and meet cutoff criteria using a
      standard field screening assessment. It is hypothesized that the 10-week training program
      initiated at the onset of an academic semester will improve students' symptoms of anxiety and
      depression. Further, it is also expected that greater physical activity, self-efficacy, and
      social and academic engagement among participants in the TIPSTART group as compared to the
      usual care condition. Finally, the potential role of TIPSTART in changes in resilience,
      self-regulatory functioning and schoolwork-life balance will be explored.
    

Intervention name(s): TIPSTART
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): TIPSTART is a multimodal, cognitive behavior-based therapy integrating peer-sharing, technology, aerobic and resistance training.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: Participants will be randomly assigned to either the intervention or a wait-list control condition.
Masking: Double (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: mental health; exercise therapy; first-generation college students; academic stress; peer support; aerobic exercise; physical activity; depression; anxiety; resilience