From Intention to Action:Scoring Your College Goals

The current study aims to prevent the developmental of mental health symptoms in first-year college students through providing a workshop aimed at preparing students for the academic, social, and personal challenges associated with typical college experiences. Specifically, the study hypothesizes that first-year student students who participate in a workshop on college readiness will report fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety, higher levels of self-esteem, and better academic performance compared to a similar group of students who do not receive the intervention (the control group). Students in the intervention group will participate in a one-time, two-hour workshop that discusses expectations about college, setting goals that are aligned with one's values, predicting barriers to achieving these goals, and how to overcome these obstacles. The workshop will provide students with external resources (both on and off campus) for obtaining additional support to address barriers that arise during their college experiences. Students will complete questionnaires about symptoms of depression, anxiety, and their ability to cope with stress before the workshop, after the workshop, and at the end of their first semester. At the end of the Fall 2021 semester, students will be asked to share information about their Grade Point Average (GPA) and academic status. The investigators predict that at the end of the semester, those students who participated in the workshop will report lower levels of depression, anxiety and stress, higher levels of self-esteem, and a higher GPA compared to students who did not receive the intervention. Students who participated in the workshop will also be more likely to continue (enrolled in the Spring 2022 semester) compared to controls.

Change in Depression Symptoms as measured by self-report on the Depression sub scale of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Each sub scale of the DASS-21 has a range of 0-(lowest) to 42 (highest) with higher scores indicating worsening levels of psychopathology.

Participants in the intervention arm but not the placebo group will demonstrate change in Depression Symptoms as measured by participant self-report on the Anxiety subscale of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21).

Participants in the intervention group but not the control group will demonstrate significant change in self-reported self-efficacy scores as measured by the Coping Self-Efficacy Scale (CSE). Each sub scale of the CSE has a range of scores from 0 (lowest) to 60 (highest) with a higher score representing better (improved) coping self-efficacy.

Participants in the intervention group but not the control group will demonstrate significant change in their ability to cope with stress as measured by self-reported total scores on the Brief COPE. The fourteen sub scales of the Brief COPE each have a range of 0 (lowest) to 8 (highest) with higher scores indicating higher levels of coping ability.

Inclusion Criteria: First-year, first semester freshman enrolled in Psychology 100 courses at CUNY College of Staten Island. Exclusion Criteria: Under 18 years old Violation of inclusion criteria