Background: Academic procrastination is a widespread problem among college students. It is linked to poor academic performance and increased college dropout intentions, as well as several mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, and stress. Guided web-based interventions can help reduce procrastination. However, guidance by professional clinicians draws upon valuable and limited societal resources, and a more efficient, scalable form of guidance is needed. Guidance by trained clinical psychology students has not yet been examined. Objective: The aim of this open trial is to examine the feasibility and acceptability of a web-based procrastination intervention for college students under the guidance of student digital coaches (e-coaches). Methods: We developed a single-arm trial of a guided web-based intervention targeting procrastination for the Dutch student population. Guidance is delivered by trained clinical psychology students asynchronously in the form of textual feedback on intervention progress, with the aim of supporting and motivating the participant. Participants are recruited at 7 Dutch universities. Primary outcomes are intervention satisfaction, usability, and adherence, which are assessed by the Client Satisfaction Scale (CSQ-8), System Usability Scale (SUS-10), and number of completed modules, respectively. The primary outcomes will be examined by calculating descriptive statistics. Secondary outcomes are e-coach satisfaction and changes to procrastination, depression, stress, and quality of life from pre- to posttest and follow-up. Results: The project was funded in 2019, and recruitment began in January 2021. As of May 2023, a total of 985 participants were enrolled, of which 372 had completed the posttest and 192 had completed the follow-up. The expected date of analysis and publication of the results is 2024. Conclusions: The results are expected to contribute to the body of literature regarding eHealth in 3 ways. First, we will examine whether students who procrastinate adhere to and are satisfied with an eHealth intervention targeting this problem. Second, we will explore whether an intervention targeting procrastination can also decrease depression and stress. Lastly, we will investigate whether trained psychology students can effectively guide their peers in web-based interventions. Given the shortage of licensed psychologists, exploring alternative sources of guidance is much needed in order to provide students with the mental health support they need.
Background: College students commonly struggle with procrastination, which is linked to mental health complaints and poor academic performance. Interventions based on cognitive behavioral therapy can be effective in reducing procrastination. Traditional face-to-face therapy and online interventions have shown promising outcomes, with the latter overcoming helpseeking barriers such as lengthy referral processes and waiting lists. Objective: This study aims to examine the feasibility and acceptability of a new eHealth intervention targeting procrastination for college students (“GetStarted”) with guidance by student e-coaches. This cognitive behavioral therapy–based intervention was designed specifically for and together with the target demographic of students studying in the Netherlands. Guidance was offered by trained clinical psychology students in the form of written motivational, supportive messages. Methods: We conducted a single-arm study. The primary outcomes were satisfaction (8-item Client Satisfaction Questionnaire [CSQ-8]), usability (10-item System Usability Scale [SUS-10]), and adherence (completion rate). The secondary outcomes were changes to procrastination (Irrational Procrastination Scale [IPS]), depression (9-item Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ-9]), stress (10-item Perceived Stress Scale [PSS-10]), quality of life (Mental Health Quality of Life Questionnaire [MHQoL]), and e-coaching satisfaction (Working Alliance Inventory for Guided Internet Interventions [WAI-I]). Results: Of 734 participants who started the intervention, 335 (45.6%) completed the posttest. Students reported being satisfied with the intervention (CSQ-8: mean 23.48, SD 3.23) and found it very usable (SUS-10: mean 34.39, SD 4.52). Regarding adherence, participants completed 68.95% of the intervention on average, while 36.65% (n=269) of participants completed the full intervention. Participants showed a significant decrease in procrastination (IPS: mean decrease 35.39-32.56, Cohen d=0.63), depression (PHQ-9: mean decrease 9.27-7.73, Cohen d=0.35), and stress (PSS-10: mean decrease 20.79-19.02, Cohen d=0.31) as well as an increase in quality of life (MHQoL: mean increase 12.81-13.65, Cohen d=0.37) from baseline to posttest to follow-up. Participants reported a moderate-to-strong alliance with their e-coach (WAI-I: mean 45.26, SD 7.72). Conclusions: The internet-based, student-guided intervention “GetStarted” targeting procrastination appears to be acceptable and feasible for college students in the Netherlands. However, high attrition rates and the lack of a control group mean that results must be interpreted with caution. To further examine intervention effectiveness, a randomized controlled trial needs to be conducted.