Psychological Wellbeing

The mental health of university students requires urgent attention, as many students are exposed to increased risk of psychological distress, including symptoms of depression, anxiety, academic stress, and reduced well-being. Although many students experience mental health difficulties, most do not seek help. University counselling and health services may also face increasing demand and limited resources to meet students' needs. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a transdiagnostic psychological approach that aims to increase psychological flexibility. Rather than focusing only on symptom reduction or problem solving, ACT helps individuals develop a more flexible relationship with difficult thoughts and emotions, clarify personally meaningful values, and engage in committed action. However, access to traditional psychological interventions may be limited by long waiting lists, time constraints, conflicts with academic schedules, high costs, stigma, and shortages of trained professionals. Web-based interventions may help reduce these barriers by providing accessible and flexible support that students can complete privately and at their own pace. Previous research suggests that ACT can be effectively adapted to online formats and may improve mental health and well-being outcomes in university student populations. The present study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the YOLO web-based ACT intervention among students at the University of Bologna. Participants will be allocated to either immediate access to the YOLO program or a waitlist/delayed intervention condition. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up assessments, including psychological flexibility, depression, anxiety, psychological well-being, academic performance, academic self-efficacy, resilience, and purpose in life. The study will examine whether changes in psychological flexibility are consistent with the theoretical basis of the program. It will also assess the feasibility, acceptability, and usability of the intervention to inform its potential dissemination in other Italian higher education contexts. In addition, exploratory analyses will examine caregiving responsibilities among students with caregiving roles and assess whether caregiving demands are associated with mental health, well-being, and academic functioning.

The behavioral within-subject cross-over design study "CoVa" aims to investigate the effect of a short-term full-body cold-water immersion vs. warm-water immersion control on value-based choice, psychological well-being, and peripheral physiology.

This study aims to examine whether short bouts of exercise (10 minutes) performed during the school day can improve thinking skills, creativity and emotional wellbeing in primary school children. Specifically, children aged 11-12 years will be randomly assigned to perform either a short aerobic exercise break, a strength-based exercise break, or a seated control activity. The study will evaluate how these 10 minutes activity breaks influence attention, working memory, creativity, and emotional wellbeing state after completing cognitively demanding tasks. The findings will help to identify effective strategies to integrate physical activity into the classroom to enhance learning and overall well-being in school settings.

Advances in HIV care and treatment turned a once deadly disease into a chronic condition where people living with HIV, including perinatally HIV acquired children, can now lead a healthy life and live longer with their highly effective antiretroviral therapy. Despite the advancements and successes in HIV care and treatment, HIV-related stigma remained a challenge to people living with HIV and for the provision of the available successful treatment and support. Stigma and discrimination related to HIV infection inhibit health-seeking behaviour, clinical outcomes, physical and psychosocial wellbeing and is a major obstacle for timely diagnosis. Peer support programs to people living with HIV appeared to have improved self-confidence of members and consequently reduced self-stigma and improved their coping ability against external stigma. However, these services are limited in terms of geography owing to lack of adequate financing to cover operational costs for adolescents coming from rural areas and space and facility limitation to accommodate large groups. The eHealth services have potential to provide some of the services offered in the in-person sessions of the peer support group. Despite this important potential of eHealth services, they are underutilized and are not often used to target HIV-related stigma in adolescents living with HIV. The present study will investigate whether the digital peer-support anti-HIV stigma reduces internalized and anticipated stigma among adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) in South Ethiopia. Further, we will explore the health-related outcomes including adolescent's psychological wellbeing, retention in care and sustained viral load suppression.

This clinical study aims to evaluate the feasibility and initial efficacy of Group Traumatic Episode Protocol (GTEP) for reducing trauma symptoms (measured by the PCL-5 and City BiTS) for individuals following a traumatic birthing experience. A secondary aim is to evaluate the efficacy of GTEP in improving parental wellbeing (measured through the CORE-10) and parent-infant bonding (measured through the PBQ) following a traumatic birthing experience. Participants (those who have experienced a traumatic birthing experience) will complete the GTEP intervention, delivered online. They will be asked to complete outcome measures and give feedback on their experience of the group.

Mental health concerns such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress are particularly prevalent among incarcerated individuals and are considered risk factors for recidivism. Leveraging the natural human-animal bond, animal-assisted intervention (AAI) offers a less threatening alternative to engage incarcerated individuals and address their mental health needs. As an initial effort to help promote rehabilitative security in Hong Kong, the current study examines the acceptability and effectiveness of a brief animal-assisted program among offenders in local secured facilities.