Ecological momentary assessment of stress, well-being, and psychological flexibility among college and university students during acceptance and commitment therapy.

Abstract

The aim of this ecological momentary assessment study was to explore how students' momentary levels of stress, well-being, and psychological flexibility fluctuate during an intervention based on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Fifty-nine (n ϭ 59) Canadian postsecondary students took part in this study. They were invited to participate in 5 group workshops of 2.5 hr in length and to use a smartphone application designed for ecological momentary assessment. Data collection spanned 5 consecutive weeks. Students were prompted once per day at random times between 8:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m., for a maximum of 5 times per week and 25 intended prompts. Analyses were conducted using multilevel modeling. The results show that (a) students' momentary levels of stress, well-being, and psychological flexibility did not change significantly during the intervention; (b) students' momentary psychological flexibility was associated with their momentary stress and well-being; and (c) the association between students' momentary psychological flexibility and well-being became stronger over time. The results of this within-person research study extend previous between-person studies carried out on ACT and reinforce the importance of helping postsecondary students cultivate psychological flexibility to promote their mental health. Public Significance StatementVarious colleges and universities offer interventions aimed at promoting mental health and helping students develop psychological flexibility. Results of this study suggest that these interventions are worthwhile: when students report being psychologically flexible during their day-to-day routine, they also report less stress and higher levels of well-being.

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