Web-Based Stress Management Program for University Students in Indonesia: Systematic Cultural Adaptation and Protocol for a Feasibility Study.

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Authors

  • Dilfa Juniar
  • Wouter van Ballegooijen
  • Eirini Karyotaki
  • Anneke van Schaik
  • Jan Passchier
  • Elena Heber
  • Dirk Lehr
  • Sawitri Supardi Sadarjoen
  • Heleen Riper

Background: The number of university students experiencing stress is increasing, which often leads to adverse effects such as poor grades, academic probation, and emotional problems. Unfortunately, most of these problems remain untreated because of limited professional resources and fear of stigma. Several Web-based stress management interventions are now available for student populations, but these treatments are not yet available in Indonesia. To make treatment for stress more acceptable in Indonesia, a cultural adaptation process is needed, and part of the process is assessing the feasibility of the adapted intervention. Objective: This paper describes the first two stages of a cultural adaptation process and the protocol of a feasibility study that will assess the acceptability of a culturally adapted stress management intervention for university students in Indonesia. Methods: Focus group discussions with Indonesian university students were held, and input from Indonesian psychologists was gathered for developing the adapted intervention. A single-group feasibility study with a pre-post design will be conducted. We will recruit at minimum 50 university students who have an elevated level of stress (Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales–42 stress subscale score ≥15), identify themselves as being of Indonesian culture (eg, able to speak Bahasa Indonesia fluently), and are studying at a university in Indonesia. The primary endpoints of this study will be rates of participant satisfaction, system usability, dropout rates, and level of adherence. We will also use qualitative data to assess the adapted intervention more thoroughly. Secondary study endpoints will be quality of life, stress, anxiety, and depression levels. Feasibility parameters (eg, participant satisfaction, system usability, and level of adherence) will be summarized with descriptive statistics. Two-tailed paired within-group t tests will be used to analyze stress, anxiety, depression, and quality of life. Results: The enrollment of pilot study is currently ongoing. First results are expected to be ready for analysis in the second half of 2019. The project was funded as part of a PhD trajectory in 2015 by the Indonesian Endowment Fund for Education. Conclusions: This is one of the first studies to assess the feasibility of a culturally adapted Web-based stress management intervention for university students in Indonesia. Strengths and limitations of the study are discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere11493
JournalJMIR Research Protocols
Volume8
Issue number1
Number of pages11
ISSN1929-0748
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 25.01.2019

Bibliographical note

The project was funded as part of a PhD trajectory in 2015 by the Indonesian Endowment Fund for Education. Conclusions: This is one of the first studies to assess the feasibility of a culturally adapted Web-based stress management intervention for university students in Indonesia. Strengths and limitations of the study are discussed. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/11493

    Research areas

  • Psychology
  • Health sciences
  • Cultural adaptation, Feasibility study, Indonesia, Internet intervention, Low and middle income countries (LMICs), Stress management, University student

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