Treatment for graduate students: Blunting the emotional toll of postgraduate education.

OBJECTIVES: Graduate students are at greater risk of developing mental health concerns than other adults in their age group. Despite the need for care within this population, there is a lack of literature on accessible interventions designed specifically to meet the needs of graduate students. The present study examines the efficacy of a novel intervention: Mood Lifters for Graduate Students (ML-GS). METHOD: This study is a clinical trial with randomization. The sample size consisted of 131 participants. The average age was 25.95 years, and the sample was 88.5% women, 61.8% White, and 65.6% straight or heterosexual. Participants completed the same survey before and after participating in ML-GS, as well as 1-month after completing ML-GS. Three measures from those surveys were examined in this study: Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, and Perceived Stress Scale. Two-way mixed-design analyses of variance (ANOVAs) and repeated measures ANOVAs were used to analyze these data. RESULTS: Results indicated that participants enrolled in ML-GS experienced significant, clinically meaningful reductions in depression, anxiety, and stress, when compared to their waitlist counterparts. The changes made during the ML-GS program were also maintained at the 1-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that ML-GS is effective in reducing depression, anxiety, and stress among graduate students. It may be a good solution for the large demand for mental health support in that population. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

An investigation into the effectiveness of Mood Lifters in the context of trauma exposure.

A large proportion of adults experiencing mental health problems do not receive care due to structural and attitudinal barriers. Mood Lifters (ML) is an evidence-based mental wellness program designed to reduce depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. This study aims to extend the literature by examining whether ML reduces posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and if childhood trauma (CT) affects treatment outcomes. We hypothesized that ML will be effective for all symptoms. However, we predicted that those who endorse higher levels of CT would experience a diminished impact of ML on their symptoms. Graduate students and young professionals (N = 221), a demographic that is known to have greater mental health concerns, were randomly assigned to either the waitlist condition (n = 78) or the intervention condition (n = 143). Before and after ML participation, participants completed a series of questionnaires about their symptoms. ML reduced symptoms of PTSD for participants who received the intervention relative to the waitlist. Further, we also observed that while the overall regression models with CT predict posttreatment scores for all the clinical symptoms, the CT variable itself was predictive of only posttreatment anxiety. Unexpectedly, given that CT is often associated with less improvement, we found that those at all levels of CT experienced similar reductions in depression, anxiety and PTSD symptoms. Taken together, ML is a viable option to help people reduce depression, anxiety, stress, and PTSD regardless of the level of CT exposure. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

From "surviving to thriving": Mood Lifters - a wellness program for parents of medically complex children.

OBJECTIVES: Parents of medically complex children juggle unique demands associated with caring for chronically ill children, many of which negatively impact their mental wellbeing. Despite this, parents of medically complex children often forgo mental health support due to concerns with costs, time, stigma, and accessibility. There is limited research on evidence-based interventions addressing such barriers for these caregivers. We piloted an adapted version of Mood Lifters, a peer-led wellness program, to equip parents of medically complex children with evidence-based strategies to manage their mental health while also reducing barriers to support. We hypothesized parents would find Mood Lifters to be feasible and acceptable. Further, parents would experience improvements in mental wellbeing upon program completion. METHODS: We conducted a single-arm prospective pilot study to assess Mood Lifters for parents of medically complex children. Participants included 51 parents in the U.S. recruited from a local pediatric hospital providing care for their children. Caregiver mental wellbeing was assessed through validated questionnaires pre-intervention (T1) and post-intervention (T2). Repeated-measures analysis of variance was conducted to evaluate change between T1 and T2. RESULTS: Analyses from T1 and T2 (n = 18) revealed improvements in parents' depression (F(1,17) = 7.691, p = 0.013) and anxiety (F(1,17) = 6.431, p = 0.021) after program completion. Improvements in perceived stress and positive and negative emotion were significant at p < 0.0083. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: Parents of medically complex children experienced improved mental health upon participating in Mood Lifters. Results offer preliminary support for the feasibility and acceptability of Mood Lifters as an evidence-based care option that may also alleviate common barriers to care.

Mood Lifters for Seniors: Development and Evaluation of an Online, Peer-Led Mental Health Program for Older Adults.

Effective, scalable mental health programs are greatly needed for older adults. In this study, Mood Lifters-a peer-led, community-based program promoting mental well-being-was adapted to more specifically address the needs of older adults. Two groups completed the 14-week program via Zoom. A total of 24 participants enrolled (M age = 72 years), with 20 (83%) completing the program. Compared to baseline, program completers showed significant improvements in depression symptoms (p < .01), perceived stress (p = .04), sleep quality (p < .01), physical activity (p < .01), and brain health behaviors (p = .01), with improvements maintained at 1-month follow-up. No significant changes were reported in participants' anxiety, loneliness, or resilience. Participant ratings of program satisfaction were very high (M = 4.75/5). Results suggest Mood Lifters for Seniors is feasible to disseminate and acceptable to older adults, with preliminary evidence of benefits in several mental health domains. Future randomized trials with larger, more diverse samples are needed to confirm program benefits.