Open Access

ARTICLE

Brief mental health education course efficacy on resilience among first-year college students: A cluster-randomized controlled trial

Junyi Wang^*

School of Teacher Education, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China

* Corresponding Author: Junyi Wang. Email:

Journal of Psychology in Africa 2025, 35(4), 549-555. https://doi.org/10.32604/jpa.2025.070065

Received 16 October 2024; Accepted 27 June 2025; Issue published 17 August 2025

Abstract

The transition to university life presents unique challenges, increasing the risk of mental health issues among first-year students. This study evaluated the efficacy of an eight-week structured mental health education course in enhancing resilience among first-year college students and reducing their stress levels. Utilizing a cluster-randomized controlled trial, a total of 509 first-year students (age range 18–20 years) were allocated to either an intervention group receiving the mental health education course (n = 252), or a control group with no intervention (n = 257) over an 8 week period. They completed self-reported measures of resilience and perceived stress at baseline and post-intervention. The results from repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated significant group-by-time interactions were found for both resilience and perceived stress. Specifically, students in the intervention group showed significant increases in resilience and significant reductions in perceived stress, whereas the control group showed no significant changes. The brief eight-week mental health education course had efficacy enhancing resilience and reduces perceived stress among first-year students. These findings highlight the value of integrating such mental health education programs into university counseling and student development services, offering a practical approach to supporting first-year students’ psychological adjustment and overall well-being.

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Keywords

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