Exercise + Self-Compassion Intervention for Depression
Condition: Depression
MeSH terms: Depression; Depressive Disorder
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      An alarming number of students report depressive symptoms that make it difficult to function
      academically. Previous research has indicated that exercise can be effective in treating
      mild-moderate depression. However, individuals with depression may struggle psychologically
      to adhere to exercise programs. Researchers have highlighted the potential role of
      self-compassion, a psychological approach that is useful in dealing with personal
      inadequacies, to facilitate health behaviour regulation. Behavioural coaching is another
      approach that consists of self-regulatory strategies such as action planning and less
      emphasis on emotion-focused strategies. The purpose of this study is to test the
      effectiveness of a structured exercise and psychoeducation program on improving depressive
      symptoms among inactive students with depression and to evaluate if the addition of
      psychological components (self-compassion or behavioural coaching) affects this
      effectiveness. Students with mild-to-moderate depression will refer themselves to participate
      or be referred/recommended by Student Health Services at Western University. The study will
      consist of attending 3 exercise + psychoeducation sessions per week for 10-weeks. Study
      participants will be randomly allocated to one of three groups; exercise only, exercise +
      self-compassion, or exercise + behavioral coaching. All will complete questionnaires before,
      after, and 3-months following the end of their sessions. It is expected that participants in
      the exercise + self-compassion or exercise + behaviour coaching groups will show greater
      improvements in their depressive symptoms, program adherence and follow-up exercise behaviour
      and depression after 3 months than the exercise only group and that the exercise +
      self-compassion group will be superior to the exercise + behavioural coaching group in those
      measurements.
    

Detailed description: 
      This is a 10-week randomized parallel study assessing the effectiveness of exercise in
      reducing depressive symptoms among students with mild-to-moderate depression. This study has
      three treatment arms: exercise; exercise + self-compassion; exercise + behavioral coaching.
      Each participant will be invited to attend 3 supervised group-based sessions each week either
      virtually through Zoom or in-person at the Exercise and Health Psychology Lab for 10 weeks.
      Senior undergraduate Kinesiology students will facilitate a personalized exercise program
      adapted to the participant's abilities, teach participants how to exercise, and gauge
      exercise intensity in a safe manner. The CANMAT guidelines will be implemented, with the
      program consisting of supervised moderate-intensity exercise sessions lasting 30-minutes
      (plus 10-minutes for warm-up and cool-down), 3 times weekly, for a period of 10-weeks.
      Participants will start exercising at a low intensity and progressively increase until they
      are consistently exercising at a moderate intensity. The exercise intervention will integrate
      moderate intensity aerobic and resistance training activities while accounting for the
      physical abilities and interests of the individual participant and theh group.The exercise +
      psychoeducation groups will receive equal contact supplemental individual manualized
      strategies each session (+15-20 minutes) centered either on behaviour change strategies
      (i.e., action planning, implementation intentions, relapse prevention, and goal setting) or
      self-compassion strategies (i.e., mindfulness, self-directed kindness meditations, and
      writing tasks). The manualized psychoeducation sessions will be group-based with the trainer
      that is supervising the exercise sessions. Participants will fill out surveys before, after
      and three months following the intervention period.
    

Intervention name(s): Behavioural Coaching; Self-compassion psychoeducation; Exercise
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral; Other
Intervention description(s): behaviour change strategies (i.e., action planning, implementation intentions, relapse prevention, and goal setting); self-compassion strategies (i.e., mindfulness, self-directed kindness meditations, and writing tasks); aerobic exercise program either delivered in a laboratory setting or via Zoom
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment