A pilot study of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and brief Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction informed group interventions for anxiety in a university setting
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN78795661 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN78795661 |
- Submission date
- 29/07/2025
- Registration date
- 15/08/2025
- Last edited
- 15/08/2025
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Mental and Behavioural Disorders
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Many university students experience anxiety, which can negatively affect their wellbeing, academic performance, and overall quality of life. This study is exploring two psychological approaches that may help students manage anxiety: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Both approaches are supported by research and aim to help people relate to their thoughts and feelings in more flexible and compassionate ways. The study is a pilot trial designed to test how effective these two brief group-based interventions are for students with symptoms of anxiety. It will also look at how these approaches may help improve mindfulness and psychological flexibility.
Who can participate?
To take part in the study, participants must be university students aged 18 or older who are experiencing mild to moderately severe anxiety, as measured by a standard questionnaire. They must not be receiving psychological therapy elsewhere and must not be enrolled in postgraduate psychology programmes at City, University of London. Students with more severe mental health conditions or those currently in therapy will not be eligible.
What does the study involve?
Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups. One group will take part in four weekly ACT sessions, each lasting two hours, focused on accepting difficult thoughts and committing to meaningful actions. Another group will attend four weekly MBSR-informed sessions, also two hours each, which teach mindfulness skills to manage stress and emotions. The third group will be placed on a waitlist and will not receive therapy during the four-week period, but will be offered one of the interventions afterward. All participants will complete questionnaires at the beginning of the study, after the four-week intervention, and again four weeks later. These questionnaires will assess anxiety, depression, mindfulness, psychological flexibility, and related factors. Sessions will be led by qualified psychologists trained in ACT and MBSR. With consent, sessions may be audio or video recorded to ensure quality and for possible future research, with all identifying information removed.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Participants may benefit by learning psychological and mindfulness skills that could help reduce anxiety and improve wellbeing. They will also receive free group-based psychological support and contribute to research that may improve services for students in the future. Risks are minimal but may include a temporary increase in difficult thoughts or emotions as participants engage more closely with their feelings, some discomfort in discussing personal experiences in a group setting, and minor inconvenience from attending sessions or completing questionnaires. Any serious concerns about safety or wellbeing will be addressed by qualified psychologists, and participants may be referred to additional support services if needed.
Where is the study run from?
The study is being run by the City Counselling Psychology Training and Research Clinic at City, University of London (UK).
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
January 2019 to December 2019
Who is funding the study?
The study is funded by the British Psychological Society’s Division of Counselling Psychology (DCoP) Research Grant.
Who is the main contact?
Dr Jessica Jones Nielsen, jones.nielsen.1@city.ac.uk
Contact information
Public, Scientific, Principal Investigator
City St George’s, University Of London
Northampton Square
London
EC1V 0HB
United Kingdom
 ORCID ID |
0000-0001-6874-1268 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +44 (0)20 7040 8755 |
| jessica.jones-nielsen@citystgeorges.ac.uk |
Study information
| Study design | A pilot and feasibility study - a randomised controlled trial with a crossover treatment design comparing the effectiveness of two experimental mindfulness-based intervention groups to a waitlist-control group (WLC) |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Interventional |
| Secondary study design | Randomised cross over trial |
| Study setting(s) | University/medical school/dental school |
| Study type | Other, Treatment |
| Participant information sheet | No participant information sheet available |
| Scientific title | Comparison of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for student anxiety: A randomized controlled pilot study |
| Study acronym | CAMP study |
| Study objectives | Participants who engage in a mindfulness-based intervention, informed by Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), will show: (a) significantly reduced levels of anxiety and, (b) significantly increased scores across the five facets of mindfulness following the intervention. These effects will be observed both in comparison to a waitlist-control group and relative to participants’ own pre-intervention scores. |
| Ethics approval(s) |
Approved 18/10/2018, Psychology Research Ethics Committee of the School of Arts and Social Sciences of City, University of London (Northampton Square, London, EC1V 0HB, United Kingdom; +44 (0)20 7040 8755; psychology.ethics@city.ac.uk), ref: PSYETH (S/F) 17/18 01 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Student anxiety in a University setting |
| Intervention | Participants were randomly allocated, using randomisation software, to one of three groups: acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) group and waitlist control group. Participants in the intervention groups attended four weekly sessions of either ACT or MBSR sessions, while the waitlist control group received no intervention during the study period. Group facilitators were experienced HCPC registered practitioner psychologists. Participants were followed up three months after group participation. This study was designed as a three-armed parallel pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT). The first intervention group was informed by Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), the second by Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), while the waitlist control group received no intervention during the study period. Participants were randomized to intervention and control arms in a 1:1 allocation ratio using a Study Randomizer software, and participants randomized into a treatment condition immediately engaged in four weekly two-hour group sessions of MBSR and ACT. |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure | Feasibility outcomes: 1. Recruitment rate measured using percentage of eligible participants who are recruited from all those who contact the research team to learn about the study at regular intervals and at the end of the study period 2. Retention rate regarding intervention participation measured using percentage of participants who completed all group sessions at the end of the study period 3. Retention rate regarding follow-up at 3 months post-intervention measured using percentage of participants who complete 3-month follow-up at the end of the study period 4. Acceptability of the intervention and attendance measured using a qualitative survey when participants completed the intervention |
| Secondary outcome measures | 1. Psychological inflexibility is measured using the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire–II (AAQ-II) at baseline and 3 months post-intervention 2. Mindfulness is measured using the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire–Short Form (FFMQ-SF) at baseline and 3 months post-intervention 3. Generalised anxiety symptoms are measured using the Generalised Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7) at baseline and 3 months post-intervention 4. Depressive symptoms are measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) at baseline and 3 months post-intervention |
| Overall study start date | 18/01/2019 |
| Completion date | 21/12/2019 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Learner/student |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Lower age limit | 18 Years |
| Upper age limit | 80 Years |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | >1 |
| Total final enrolment | 31 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Enrolled students 2. At least 18 years of age 3. Have a score between 5 -15 on the GAD-7 and <15 on the PHQ-9 |
| Key exclusion criteria | 1. Presenting severe and enduring mental health problems, such as such as psychotic disorders, personality disorders or dependent drug use where they are the primary problem and/or may significantly interfere with treatment 2. Being currently engaged in psychological therapy elsewhere 3. Being a student on a Masters or Doctoral-level courses in the Department of Psychology at City St Georges', University of London – undergraduate students in the Department of Psychology were accepted but not seen by academic members of the counselling psychology team |
| Date of first enrolment | 10/04/2019 |
| Date of final enrolment | 08/05/2019 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- England
- United Kingdom
Study participating centre
London
EC1V 0HB
United Kingdom
Sponsor information
University/education
City St George's, University of London
Northampton Square
London
EC1V 0HB
England
United Kingdom
| Phone | +44 (0)20 7040 8755 |
|---|---|
| insurance@citystgeorges.ac.uk | |
| Website | https://www.citystgeorges.ac.uk/ |
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/04489at23 |
Funders
Funder type
Research organisation
Private sector organisation / Associations and societies (private and public)
- Alternative name(s)
- BPS
- Location
- United Kingdom
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 26/12/2025 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Available on request |
| Publication and dissemination plan | A dissemination strategy has been developed using evidence for translating knowledge into practice. In order to ensure that the outputs from the research inform practice one main objective within this dissemination strategy is to maximize the benefits to university students and the wider Higher Education Institution sector. This will include working with our university counselling services, Student Counselling & Mental Health Services, and student groups locally as well as the Student Mental Health Research Network (SMaRteN) and Universities UK (UUK) Mental Wellbeing In Higher Education (MWBHE) Working Group. The latter two group are focused on enabling ideas and data to be shared across the sector to support stronger research. The following activities will be used for dissemination of research findings: • Holding two interactive workshops on the effectiveness of ACT and MBSR-based groups for university students • Engaging with key research organisations such as UKRI and developing future research collaborations through the SMaRten network • Engaging with UUK’s MWBHE Working Group by presenting findings at their working group meetings • Setting up a dedicated website with links and information regarding the study’s findings and impact-related sources, as well as creating a dedicated Twitter profile • Writing publications which include summary reports of the research and peer review journals which include submission to the following: Counselling Psychology Review, Counselling Psychology Quarterly, The European Journal of Counselling Psychology, The Counseling Psychologist, or Journal of Counseling Psychology • Presenting findings at relevant conferences including the DCoP Annual Conference and the Association for Contextual Behaviour Science World Conference |
| IPD sharing plan | The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study will be available upon request from Jessica Jones Nielsen (jessica.jones-nielsen@citystgeorges@city.ac.uk) |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protocol file | 19/11/2018 | 06/08/2025 | No | No |
Additional files
Editorial Notes
29/07/2025: Trial's existence confirmed by Psychology Research Ethics Committee of the School of Arts and Social Sciences of City, University of London.
