Project Title |
An Evaluation of “ACTION”: A Brief, Internet-based Behavioural Activation Program for Depression |
Principal Investigator |
A/Prof Neil Thomas – Swinburne University |
Associate Investigators |
A/Prof Maja Nedeljkovic – Swinburne University |
We are inviting you to take part in a study to test a new 8-week online program for depression – called ACTION. ACTION is based on a treatment model for depression called Behavioural Activation (BA) which involves learning approaches to increase the time you spend in positive activities.
Project and researcher interests:
The ACTION program has been developed by the National eTherapy Centre as a part of the service delivery of Mental Health Online. Mental Health Online is a digital mental health service that provides online programs for depression and anxiety. Mental Health Online is supported by funding provided by the Australian Government Department of Health.
What does the research involve?
This study aims to find out about people’s experiences of the program and how it benefits symptoms of depression. ACTION is a self-guided program that contains 5 online modules of written information, videos, and interactive activities that you can explore in your own time over 8-weeks. The activities are designed to help you understand how you spend your time and find meaningful activities that may boost your mood. In the ACTION videos, you will hear from people with experiences of depression about what strategies they use to get the most out of making changes to their mental health. You will be supported by a therapist during the ACTION program who will contact you once a week. Your therapist will be a provisional psychologist under supervision at Mental Health Online. The ACTION program will take approximately 1-2 hours per week over eight weeks.
If you agree to be in this study, you will also be asked to:
- Complete a sign-up form and provide your name, email, residential address, phone number, and the name and phone number of your General Practitioner (or GP Clinic).
- Complete an eligibility interview via phone or Coviu (secure video telehealth software) where you will be asked questions about your mental health. It will take 30-60 minutes.
- If eligible, you will be asked to complete some brief online questionnaires about your symptoms of depression at four time points: (1) before you commence the program; (2) at week 4 of the program; (3) after you have completed the program, and (4) 3 months after you have completed the program. Each survey takes approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.
- Participate in a recorded interview about your experience of the ACTION program. This interview will take place on video-conferencing software called Zoom, with an option of turn off your video feed if preferred.
- We ask you to contact the research team if you encounter any difficulties using the website.
Before deciding whether this study is an appropriate treatment choice for you, you are reminded that Mental Health Online’s programs are not suitable for individuals in crisis, or in urgent need of support. If you are having thoughts of self-harm or suicide, please telephone Emergency Services on 000 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Am I eligible to participate?
To be eligible to participate in this research you:
- Are 18 years of age or over;
- Reside in Australia;
- Have a been given a diagnosis of depression from a health professional (e.g., a general practitioner)
- Have provided your full contact information.
You will be unable to participate if you:
- Are currently seeing a health professional for your mental health and engaging in a structured psychotherapy (some examples include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Schema Therapy)
- Do not meet the diagnostic criteria for depression
- Are currently experiencing active suicidal ideation
If you are unsure about whether you might be eligible to participate, complete the sign-up process and a member of the research team will be in contact to assist with determining eligibility.
What are the possible risks of participating in this research?
We do not anticipate that participating in the ACTION program will pose a risk to you or your health. However, if you become upset or distressed during the study you can contact your eTherapist and they will provide you with contact information for other services that may be able to assist you.
Can I withdraw from participating in this research project?
You are free to stop taking part in the study at any stage. If you withdraw, data you have contributed to the study cannot be removed as it forms part of the assessment of the program. Your decision to participate or not will have no impact upon your future or current relationships with Swinburne University or with Mental Health Online. If you do decide to withdraw, please contact the research team and we will contact you to complete a brief withdrawal interview.
What will happen to information about me?
In this study we will be collecting the following information from you:
- Personal information – your contact details and the contact details of your GP.
- Health information – information about your mental health including the survey responses.
- Website usage data – the timestamp information about how you use the website, the activities you complete, and the selections you make.
- Email content – the technical difficulties you report to us relevant to your use of the ACTION website as well as communications with your therapist and website entries.
- Interview – a recorded interview about your experiences after completing the ACTION program. If you choose to have your video on for this interview, please be assured that your image will not be used and an audio file will be generated and used in data analysis.
Any information obtained during the study that can identify you will remain confidential, and accessible only to the investigators as named above. Your personal and health information will be made available to your therapist. Information stored by the ACTION website may be accessible to external staff from Media Insights, a software company responsible for the maintenance of the website. Data will only be accessed if necessary and staff from Media Insights are bound by the same confidentiality standards. An external transcription service will be provided with audio recording of the post-program interviews. This data is transferred to the transcription service via a secure portal and permanently deleted from their storage after delivery of the transcript.
In any form of publication/presentation, only group data will be used, and no individual’s responses will be identifiable. If your interview quotes are published/presented, no identifying information or names will be used. Data from this study will be securely stored for a period of seven years before being destroyed. Within that time frame, data from this study may be used in other related research, including student projects under supervision by a member of the research team.
Limits to confidentiality
There are some limited circumstances under which your information may be disclosed to others outside of the research team as required by law. It is a requirement of your participation that you provide the contact details of your medical practitioner. We may inform your designated medical practitioner if we were concerned about your immediate safety or that of others.
Privacy and Security
The ACTION website employs the following security features: encryption of identifiable data, SSL security certificate, and hosted on secure, Australian-based server. It should be noted, however, that the ACTION website is subject to security risks inherent in any internet service. We will endeavour to safeguard your information against all possible breaches of security. We recommend that you consider the security of your personal device (e.g., anti-virus software) before and during your participation in the study.
Reimbursement
If you would like to contact the researchers about any aspect of the study please contact:
If you have a complaint concerning the manner in which this research is being conducted, please contact the Swinburne University of Technology Human Research Ethics Committee.
This project has been approved by or on behalf of Swinburne’s Human Research Ethics Committee (SUHREC) in line with the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research. If you have any concerns or complaints about the conduct of this project, you can contact:
Research Ethics Officer, Swinburne Research (H68),
Swinburne University of Technology, P O Box 218, HAWTHORN VIC 3122.
Tel (03) 9214 3845 or +61 3 9214 8145 or resethics@swin.edu.au