Examining the Effect of a Group-Based Stress Management Course on Empowering the Mental Health of Medical Faculty Students and Resident Physicians: A Randomized Controlled Study

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

self help plus: The course is designed to help individuals cope with challenging life events and manage stress. The core components of the SH+ course include focusing attention (grounding), stepping back from distressing thoughts and emotions, acting in line with one's values, practicing kindness (self-compassion), and making space for difficult emotions.

Study summary

Physicians and medical students have higher rates of depression, anxiety, burnout, and suicide risk than the general population, and this disparity often begins early, even during medical school. Despite substantial distress, help-seeking is frequently limited due to stigma concerns, career fears, and time constraints, which may allow mental health problems to progress unnoticed and become chronic. Preventive interventions during medical education may reduce current distress and help avert more severe disorders later in professional life. Group-based psychoeducation is a cost-effective approach with advantages such as scalability, peer support, and learning benefits without requiring personal disclosure. The WHO Self-Help Plus (SH+) program is an ACT-informed, easily deliverable group stress management course, and randomized controlled trials across settings suggest SH+ can reduce psychological distress and depressive symptoms while improving coping skills and resilience. In Türkiye, evidence on group-based interventions for medical students and resident physicians remains limited and focuses mainly on documenting symptom levels rather than testing interventions; therefore, this study aims to evaluate a group-based stress management course and examine the feasibility and cultural adaptation of SH+-like programs in Turkish medical education.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Depression Anxiety Stress Scales - Short Form (DASS-21) — 1th-30th days
  The DASS-21 is a self-report instrument developed to assess respondents' levels of depression, anxiety, and stress (Lovibond \& Lovibond, 1995).
• Suicide Probability Scale - SPS — 1 th - 30 th days
  The original form of the scale was developed by Cull and Gill (1982) to measure the likelihood of suicide.

Trial sites (1)

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