Can a 5-Session therapy ease student stress? new trial aims to find out
NCT ID NCT07506148
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study compares two group therapies for university students aged 18-28 who have moderate anxiety and depression. One group receives Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which teaches skills to accept difficult emotions and live according to personal values. The other group gets a supportive, non-directive therapy that provides empathy and listening. The goal is to see which approach better reduces emotional symptoms and improves flexibility in thinking. The trial involves 48 participants and uses questionnaires, daily phone surveys, and interviews to measure results.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) - a type of talk therapy that helps people accept difficult feelings and act on what matters to them
- What this could lead to
- If ACT works better than general support groups, it could give universities an effective, short-term therapy option for students struggling with anxiety and depression.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small early-stage trial with only 48 students, so results may not apply to everyone. Both groups might improve, making it hard to tell if ACT is truly better.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
-
About 48 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Mar 2026
- Expected to finish
-
Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
18 to 28 years
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * University students aged 18 to 28 years. * Score ≥8 on the PHQ-9. * Score ≥8 on the GAD-7. * Willingness to participate in a longitudinal study including pre-, post-, and follow-up assessments. * Willingness to complete daily and weekly ecological momentary assessments (EMA). * Provision of written informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: * Suicide risk based on clinical indicators derived from PHQ-9 assessment. * Self-reported history of psychotic disorders. * Self-reported problematic substance use. * Failure to provide informed consent.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Anxiety are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Universidad de Montevideo
RECRUITINGMontevideo, Montevideo Department, 11600, Uruguay
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Reading the Brain's signals to predict who benefits from deep brain stimulation
- Can a phone app that blocks distracting apps ease depression?
- Can video games calm anxious teens?
- Can teachers and a phone app ease teen depression?
- Can imagining exercise boost brain power after spinal cord injury?
- Can a group program teach teens to cope before therapy starts?