A mixed-methods evaluation of experiential intervention exercises for values and committed action from an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) mental health promotion program for university students

Abstract

The mental health vulnerabilities of university students is an emerging global public health crisis. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) interventions, particularly those that are web-based, provide discrete, cost-effective, transdiagnostic support for university students. Whilst many studies have researched core ACT processes important for positive outcomes in university students, no published study has reported specific quantitative and qualitative user-responses to commonly used ACT values and committed action experiential exercises. The purpose of this study is to investigate responses to widely used ACT values and committed action exercises to serve three aims: 1) to delineate the values and goals of university students and their relative importance, 2) to assess engagement with exercises, and 3) to translate this data into recommendations for the design and refinement of future mental health programs. Reponses analysed were provided by 1,162 university students on ‘values and committed action’ experiential exercises that formed part of YOLO (You Only Live Once), a web-based ACT mental health promotion intervention for university students. Results showed that university students report a diverse array of personal values, although few students endorsed the values self-caring, healthy, relaxed, and flexible. Participant identified goals were performance-focused rather than task-focused. Results demonstrated that participants showed high engagement with the experiential values and committed action exercises. Responses to the exercises documented in this study add to the published data supporting the efficacy of ACT components in the effective treatment of mental health problems in university students. Findings also illuminate potential areas for development and refinement to improve models of care for university students.