Menu
Recruiting NCT07682753

MH-POWER for College Students on the Spectrum

No phase Interventional Autistic College Students With Anxiety, Depression, Stress

For patients and families

In plain language

An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.

What is being studied
The protocol lists: The MH-POWER program.
Who it may be relevant to
Registry conditions: Autistic College Students With Anxiety, Depression, Stress. Basic parameters: 18 years — 30 years · All.
What needs checking
Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
Where it takes place
United States
Next step
Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →

Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →

Official title

Empowering Autistic College Students: Mental Health Skill Building at a Hispanic-Serving Institution

Overview

The purpose of this project is to determine the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a mental health skill-building and empowerment program (MH-POWER) for college students on the autism spectrum facing stress, anxiety, and depression. The program, grounded in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and habit formation, will be implemented through weekly sessions and daily practice over 8 weeks. To evaluate the program's preliminary efficacy, we will measure mental health symptoms at baseline, mid-point, post-intervention, and one-month follow-up. Positive outcomes could lead to scalable interventions.

Interventions

  • Behavioral The MH-POWER program
    The MH-POWER program is an 8-week, structured, and manualized program to improve mental health skills. The program design consists of weekly 60-minute group sessions (8-12 in each group) and daily structured practice activities to reinforce the skills learned in each session. Based on the Self-Regulation Framework, the MH-POWER program systematically integrates (a) CBT with a specific focus on cognitive restructuring and behavioral activation; (b) ACT with mindfulness, acceptance strategies, and

Primary outcome measures

  • Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) [Time frame: It will be administered at baseline (Week 0), mid-intervention (Week 4), post-intervention (Week 8), and follow-up (Week 12)]
  • State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) [Time frame: It will be administered at baseline (Week 0), mid-intervention (Week 4), post-intervention (Week 8), and follow-up (Week 12)]
  • Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) [Time frame: It will be administered at baseline (Week 0), mid-intervention (Week 4), post-intervention (Week 8), and follow-up (Week 12)]
Secondary outcome measures (2)
  • Self-Reported Habit Index (SRHI) [Time frame: It will be administered at baseline (Week 0), mid-intervention (Week 4), post-intervention (Week 8), and follow-up (Week 12).]
  • Mental Health Quality of Life Questionnaire (MHQoL) [Time frame: It will be administered at baseline (Week 0), mid-intervention (Week 4), post-intervention (Week 8), and follow-up (Week 12).]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

  • College students at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
  • age 18-30 years
  • self-reported autism diagnosis confirmed via Social Responsiveness Scale-2nd Edition, the gold standard to assess impairment in adults on the autism spectrum
  • elevated stress, anxiety (worry, feeling overwhelmed), or depression (feeling down), confirmed using highly reliable and validated screening tools; Patient Health Questionnaire-9, General Anxiety Disorder-7, Kessler Psychological Distress Scale-10
  • not currently receiving intensive psychological treatment or psychiatric medication adjustments
  • must be able to speak and read English
  • willing to participate in an 8-week intervention study

Exclusion criteria

\- None

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: No

Study design

Allocation
N/A
Model
Single group
Masking
Open label
Primary purpose
Treatment

Study locations

United States · 1 center
  • Department of Occupational Therapy, ESWOT Building, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley — Edinburg

Identifiers

NCT: NCT07682753 · IRB-26-0155

Primary sources (government registries)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗