1. Motivational Variables as Moderating Effects of a Web-Based Mental Health Program for University Students: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial.
- Author
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Hanano, Maria, Rith-Najarian, Leslie, Gong-Guy, Elizabeth, and Chavira, Denise
- Subjects
analysis ,anxiety ,depression ,internal motivation ,mental health ,randomized controlled trial ,self-determination theory ,self-guided ,students ,university ,university students ,web-based ,web-based intervention - Abstract
BACKGROUND: Self-guided web-based interventions have the potential of addressing help-seeking barriers and symptoms common among university students, such as depression and anxiety. Unfortunately, self-guided interventions are also associated with less adherence, implicating motivation as a potential moderator for adherence and improvement for such interventions. Previous studies examining motivation as a moderator or predictor of improvement on web-based interventions have defined and measured motivation variably, producing conflicting results. OBJECTIVE: This secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial aimed to examine constructs of motivation as moderators of improvement for a self-guided 8-week web-based intervention in university students (N=1607). METHODS: Tested moderators included internal motivation, external motivation, and confidence in treatment derived from the Treatment Motivation Questionnaire. The primary outcome was an improvement in depression and anxiety measured by the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21. RESULTS: Piecewise linear mixed effects models showed that internal motivation significantly moderated symptom change for the intervention group (t1504=-2.94; P=.003) at average and high (+1 SD) motivation levels (t1507=-2.28; P=.02 and t1507=-4.05; P
- Published
- 2024