Enhancing Stress Resilience and Coping Skills Among Adolescents in Rural China Through School-Based Psychological Interventions: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

Status: Recruiting
Location: See location...
Intervention Type: Behavioral
Study Type: Interventional
Study Phase: Not Applicable
SUMMARY

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of school-based psychological interventions in improving stress resilience and coping skills among adolescents in rural China. The intervention seeks to reduce stress-related mental health symptoms, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress, measured using validated instruments such as the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7), and the Child PTSD Symptom Scale for DSM-5 (CPSS-5). (See Appendix for full scale descriptions.) Participants will be recruited from rural middle schools and randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a wait-list control group. The intervention consists of four sessions delivered over one week. Assessments will be conducted at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and again at a 3-month and 6-month follow-ups. Researchers will use multilevel modeling (MLM) and structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine potential mediators and moderators of intervention effects, including emotion recognition, alexithymia, and coping strategies. indings are expected to provide evidence on the effectiveness and mechanisms of an existing, school-based psychological intervention tailored to the needs of adolescents in underserved rural settings.

Eligibility
Participation Requirements
Sex: All
Minimum Age: 10
Maximum Age: 18
Healthy Volunteers: t
View:

• Currently enrolled middle school students attending regular school classes

• Sufficient functional capacity in hearing, speaking, reading, and writing to participate in intervention activities and assessments.

Locations
Other Locations
China
Biancun middle school
RECRUITING
Hebei
Contact Information
Primary
Zang Yinyin, PhD
yinyin.zang@pku.edu.cn
+86 15553201610
Backup
Feng Junkai, MSc
86+15625013745
Time Frame
Start Date: 2025-05-12
Estimated Completion Date: 2026-12-31
Participants
Target number of participants: 850
Treatments
Active_comparator: TAU + delayed intervention
Participants in this group will receive treatment as usual (TAU), which includes standard school-based support services. They will not receive the study intervention during the trial period but will be offered the full intervention after final outcome assessments. This design enables comparison between the intervention and existing standard care, while ensuring ethical access to the intervention for all participants.
Experimental: intervention group
Participants in the intervention group will receive a structured psychological program consisting of four sessions delivered over the course of one week. Each session is 40 minutes in duration and includes approximately 20 minutes of psychoeducation followed by 20 minutes of a guided writing intervention.~The sessions will cover the following core themes: ① chronic stress and emotional regulation, ② emotional identification and acceptance, ③ cognitive emotion regulation, and ④ the cognitive triangle. Interventions will be administered by trained graduate students in clinical psychology from Peking University. These facilitators will receive specialized training on the intervention protocol, and will conduct pre-intervention assessments and participate in regular supervision. All sessions will be audio and video recorded to monitor treatment fidelity, ensure adherence to the intervention manual, and support supervision and quality assurance procedures.
Related Therapeutic Areas
Sponsors
Leads: Peking University

This content was sourced from clinicaltrials.gov