The Effect of Intervention Approaches of Emotion Regulation and Learning Strategies on Students’ Learning and Mental Health

Inquiry: A Journal of Medical Care Organization, Provision and Financing · 9 authors, 2 centres

AI SUMMARY

FIDELITY 88%

POPULATIONUniversity students at the University of Nîmes, France (N=105; online n=36, face-to-face n=32, control n=37; predominantly female)

INTERVENTION9-week program covering stress, emotions, emotion regulation, learning strategies, motivation, nutrition, sleep, and worry, delivered via short videos either online (YouTube + Discord community) or face-to-face in class

COMPARISONControl group (no intervention) and comparison between the two intervention formats

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AGENT 01 · STRUCTURED SUMMARY

TRACE TO SOURCE

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TL;DR

This study tested a 9-week program (videos on stress, emotions, learning strategies, etc.) in both online and face-to-face formats among French university students. Both formats reduced intolerance of uncertainty and learned helplessness, while the face-to-face format additionally improved perceived social support and academic self-efficacy. The findings suggest that embedding such programs in classroom teaching may offer broader benefits than online delivery alone.

Full summary

4,057 CHARS

**Background:** University students are a vulnerable population with high prevalence of depressive symptoms (30.6% worldwide) and anxiety (24.5%). Academic burnout, intolerance of uncertainty, and learned helplessness are associated with poor mental health and academic difficulties. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these issues. Existing interventions often neglect learning strategies and intolerance of uncertainty, and face barriers such as stigma and low uptake. This study tested an innovative program addressing these gaps in both online and face-to-face formats.

**Methods:** 105 French university students were divided into three groups: online intervention (n=36, 94.4% female, mean age 19.3±1.6), face-to-face intervention (n=32, 93.7% female, mean age 19.5±2.2), and control (n=37, 78.3% female, mean age 19.4±2.3). The 9-week program covered stress, emotions, emotion regulation, learning, learning strategies, motivation, nutrition, sleep, and worry via identical 10-minute videos. The online group watched videos on YouTube and interacted via Discord; the face-to-face group watched in class with group exercises and discussions. Assessments at baseline (T0) and 10 weeks later (T1) used the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Student Survey, Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale-Short Form, Learned Helplessness Questionnaire, Social Provisions Scale, and visual analog scale items for learning strategies. Nonparametric within-group comparisons (Wilcoxon tests) were conducted.

**Key Results:** In the online intervention group, anxiety decreased slightly (T0 M=9.6, SD=4.1 vs T1 M=8.6, SD=3.8; W=387.5, p=.05, r_rb=0.16). No significant change in depressive symptoms or total academic burnout was observed in any group. Academic inefficacy decreased in the face-to-face group (T0 M=19.3, SD=8.7 vs T1 M=13.9, SD=6.2; W=334.0, p=.03, r_rb=0.26). Intolerance of uncertainty decreased in both the online group (T0 M=37.2, SD=10.5 vs T1 M=34.4, SD=9.2; W=397.0, p=.01, r_rb=0.33) and face-to-face group (T0 M=40.4, SD=11.1 vs T1 M=35.2, SD=11.8; W=325.0, p=.02, r_rb=0.31), with no change in controls. Learned helplessness decreased in both the online group (T0 M=26.9, SD=9.2 vs T1 M=24.5, SD=7.4; W=326, p=.05, r_rb=-0.02) and face-to-face group (T0 M=27.5, SD=7.3 vs T1 M=24.3, SD=6.2; W=438.0, p=.001, r_rb=0.65), with no change in controls. Positive attitude toward errors increased in both intervention groups (online: W=97.0, p=.04, r_rb=-0.48; face-to-face: W=133.0, p=.04, r_rb=-0.46). Planning of learning sessions increased only in the face-to-face group (T0 M=66.1, SD=34.9 vs T1 M=75.3, SD=30.4; W=10.0, p=.04, r_rb=-0.71). Perceived ease in seeking help increased only in the face-to-face group (T0 M=42.1, SD=30.3 vs T1 M=66.7, SD=26.6; W=39.0, p<.001, r_rb=-0.84). Perceived social support increased only in the face-to-face group (T0 M=34.1, SD=4.9 vs T1 M=35.4, SD=4.3; W=62.0, p=.03, r_rb=-0.75). The online group reported more deep learning strategies (self-management: T0 M=0.39, SD=0.83 vs T1 M=0.61, SD=0.81; W=19.5, p=.05, r_rb=-0.89) and the face-to-face group used more deep strategies (self-management: T0 M=0.18, SD=0.39 vs T1 M=0.59, SD=0.61; W=14, p=.005, r_rb=-0.94) and fewer surface strategies (rehearsal: T0 M=2.0, SD=1.24 vs T1 M=1.59, SD=1.01; W=155.5, p=.05, r_rb=-0.41).

**Clinical Implications:** Both program formats reduced intolerance of uncertainty and learned helplessness, key risk factors for anxiety and burnout. The face-to-face format additionally improved perceived social support, academic self-efficacy, help-seeking, and reduced surface learning strategies, suggesting that embedding interventions in classroom teaching may yield broader benefits. The online format showed a slight reduction in anxiety. These findings support implementing such programs in universities, with a preference for face-to-face delivery when possible. Limitations include small sample size, high dropout rate (especially online), lack of randomization, and short follow-up.

PICO

PPOPULATION

University students at the University of Nîmes, France (N=105; online n=36, face-to-face n=32, control n=37; predominantly female)

IINTERVENTION

9-week program covering stress, emotions, emotion regulation, learning strategies, motivation, nutrition, sleep, and worry, delivered via short videos either online (YouTube + Discord community) or face-to-face in class

OOUTCOME

Anxiety, depressive symptoms, academic burnout (Maslach Burnout Inventory), intolerance of uncertainty, learned helplessness, learning strategies/beliefs, perceived social support

STUDY TYPE

other

SPECIALTY

psychiatry

SUMMARISED BY

AI pipeline

FIDELITY CHECK

88% · B

ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10068999

The Effect of Intervention Approaches of Emotion Regulation and Learning Strategies on Students’ Learning and Mental Health

Inquiry: A Journal of Medical Care Organization, Provision and Financing

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ABSTRACT

Abstract University students are a vulnerable population, and many recent studies show that anxiety, depressive symptoms, and academic burnout have been on the increase since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings point to a need for interventions to reduce these difficulties. The purpose of the present study was to assess the effects of 2 formats of an innovative program on students’ mental health (anxiety, depressive symptoms, and academic burnout), intolerance of uncertainty, learned helplessness, and learning. Our sample was composed of 105 university students, recruited on a voluntary basis. They were divided into 3 groups: online intervention group (n = 36), face-to-face intervention group (n = 32), and control group (n = 37). The following variables were measured through online questionnaires: anxiety and depressive symptoms, academic burnout, intolerance of uncertainty, learned helplessness, perceived social support, learning strategies, and beliefs. There were 2 assessments 10 weeks apart (ie, before and after the program in the case of the 2 intervention groups). We performed nonparametric analyses to run comparisons between the 2 assessment timepoints in each group. Results showed that participants in the 2 intervention groups had lower levels of learned helplessness and intolerance of uncertainty at the end of the program. Furthermore, participants in the face-to-face group reported higher levels of perceived social support, academic self-efficacy, and help-seeking strategies. The present study highlighted the benefits of our innovative program, especially its face-to-face format. Clinical Trial - ID: NCT04978194 . Keywords: students, mental health, learning, anxiety, COVID-19

CITATION EXPORT

Elodie Charbonnier, Sarah Le Vigouroux, Cécile Puechlong et al.. The Effect of Intervention Approaches of Emotion Regulation and
Learning Strategies on Students’ Learning and Mental Health. Inquiry: A Journal of Medical Care Organization, Provision and Financing. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1177/00469580231159962

AUTHORS

9 · 2 CENTRES

Elodie Charbonnier, Sarah Le Vigouroux, Cécile Puechlong, Lucile Montalescot, Aurélie Goncalves, Louise Baussard, Beatrice Gisclard, Antony G Philippe, Florence Lespiau

1UNIV. NIMES, APSY-V, F-30021 Nîmes Cedex 1, France
2UNIV. NIMES, Projekt, F-30021 Nîmes Cedex 1, France