'Digitalization in Psychoeducation' The Effect of Tele-Psychoeducation on Problem-Solving Skills and Stress
Condition: Stress; Problems Psychosocial
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The effect of tele-psychoeducation based on an online social media platform, which had never
      been done previously, on problem-solving skills and stress levels in young adults was
      investigated. A randomized, single-blind factorial trial was conducted with two groups of 54
      university students who met the inclusion criteria. Cognitive behavioural based
      psychoeducation was carried on via Instagram's both online and asynchronized sessions for 8
      weeks. Data were collected using pre-/posttest and follow-up measurements with the
      Problem-Solving Inventory and Perceived Stress Scale and were analysed using factorial
      analysis of variance. ηp2 and Cohen's r was used, which shows the effect size with variance
      distribution.
    

Detailed description: 
      The research hypotheses are as follows:

        1. H1: There is a significant difference between the mean scores of the Problem Solving
           Inventory in favour of the intervention group in the time series.

        2. H1: There is a significant difference between the mean scores of the Perceived Stress
           Scale in favour of the intervention group in the time series.

        3. H1: The recently developed group tele-psychoeducational intervention is effective for
           reducing Problem Solving Inventory mean scores.

        4. H1: The recently developed group tele-psychoeducational intervention is effective for
           reducing Perceived Stress Scale mean scores.

      Research data was collected with an online survey tool (Googledocs) that does not require a
      usage fee or license. The tool is convenient and economical in that it is suitable for use
      with any electronic device that can connect to the internet. The developed online form was
      piloted with ten students. Arrangements were made for the clarity of the questions and the
      convenience of the online tool. Pilot study data was not included in the findings. The tools
      detailed below were used to collect the data.

      Personal Data Collection Form: This form consists of 11 multiple-choice questions to
      determine the variables that may have an impact on the sociodemographic characteristics,
      health history, and problem-solving skills of the participants. The questions were prepared
      by the research team in the light of the literature.

      Problem Solving Inventory: The Problem Solving Inventory (PSI), developed by Heppner and
      Petersen (1982), is a Likert-type scale, scored between 1 and 6, consisting of 35 items that
      measure adults' self-perception of problem solving skills. There are items that are reverse
      coded and excluded from scoring. The higher total scores obtained from the scale indicate
      that the individual perceives himself as inadequate in terms of problem solving skills. The
      Cronbach alpha consistency coefficient of the original scale was .90, and the coefficients
      obtained for the subscales were between .72 and .85. The scale was adapted to Turkish by
      Şahin et al. (1993), and the Cronbach alpha consistency coefficient was found to be .88. In
      our study, the Cronbach alpha coefficient was .78.

      Perceived Stress Scale: The scale was developed by Cohen et al. (1983), and adapted into
      Turkish by Eskin et al. (2013). The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) is designed to measure how
      stressful situations in one's life are perceived. Five-point Likert-type scale items are
      interpreted over the total score and two sub-dimensions (Perception of Insufficient
      Self-efficacy and Perception of Stress Discomfort). A high total score indicates that the
      person perceives the stress he/she has been loaded with as high; it is interpreted as the
      methods used in coping with stress are not functional, and therefore they cannot cope with
      stress effectively. In our study, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the scale was
      determined as .75.

      Data Collection: Data collection in the study was planned in line with the Checklist for
      Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys (CHERRIES), which can be considered as a method and
      reporting guide for online survey research. The research's data security was ensured via a
      user account to which only two members of the research team had access and which would not be
      shared with any other user, and the access link was terminated when the data collection
      process was completed.
    

Intervention name(s): digitalized group psychoeducation
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Problem Solving Approach based problem solving skills psychoeducation's session topics of eight weeks are as follows:
Introduction and warm-up,
Problem orientation-identifying the problem,
Identifying prior problems-Which do I want to start from?
Recognizing the losses caused by problems and complaints,
Setting reachable and realistic goals,
Generating alternatives -What can I do?
Regulating emotions,
Experimenting and exploring. The main outcomes of each session were determined, and sessions were completed in approximately one hour as a semi-structured interactive group training according to group dynamics.
Three days a week for eight weeks, informative posts were shared, asynchronous testing and self-discovery activities were carried out, and a synchronous tele-psychoeducation session was held once a week. Participants were connected to the live broadcast of the research team and interacted via text messages.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Factorial Assignment
Intervention model description: The study is a single-blind, randomized, factorial experimental type follow-up study with a control group.
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: Problem solving skills; psychoeducation; stress; mobile health; telepsychiatry; digitalization