Metacognitive Bibliotherapy for Anxiety, Depression, and Metacognitions in University Students

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Zihninde Çok Kuran İnsanlar için Salma Rehberi: Structured self-help book based on metacognitive therapy principles, targeting the Cognitive Attentional Syndrome (worry, rumination, threat monitoring and unhelpful coping strategies). Participants read the book at their own pace over 8 weeks without therapist contact. Reading progress is recorded with a weekly one-item online reading log.

Çapa Atmak: Self-help book read under the same conditions as Intervention 1: self-paced reading over 8 weeks without therapist contact, with a weekly one-item online reading log.

Study summary

This study tests whether reading a structured self-help book (bibliotherapy) can reduce anxiety, depression and stress and change unhelpful thinking patterns in medical and health-sciences students.

Students in health programs face heavy academic and clinical demands and are at increased risk of emotional distress. A thinking style called the Cognitive Attentional Syndrome (worry, rumination, threat monitoring and unhelpful coping) is thought to link stress to anxiety and depression. Metacognitive therapy targets this thinking style, and low-intensity self-help books may make these principles accessible to students.

A total of 165 students at İstanbul Nişantaşı University will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: two groups each receive a different self-help book and read it at their own pace over 8 weeks, and the third group (waitlist) receives the books after the study ends. All participants complete short online questionnaires (DASS-21, CAS-1, MCQ-30) at the start, at week 4 and at week 8, and receive brief telephone calls at weeks 2, 4 and 6 to confirm participation.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Change in Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales (DASS-21) total score — Baseline (week 0) to week 8
  DASS-21 (Turkish version), 21 items rated 0-3; total score is the sum of all items (range 0-63). Higher scores indicate greater psychological distress. Change from baseline to week 8 is compared between groups.

Trial sites (1)

More Istanbul Nisantasi University trials in Turkey

Other trials for the same condition