# Expanding College Student Mental Health with Stress Management Mobile Technologies

> **NIH NIH K08** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $176,582

## Abstract

The college years present a period of increased psychological distress for many Americans and college
students report significant barriers to mental health treatment. The PI's goal is to become an independent
investigator with expertise in the creation and evaluation of behavioral intervention technologies (BITs) in order
to broaden the scope of mental healthcare service availability within existing systems. This proposal outlines a
plan to achieve this goal, through the culmination of training and research plans into a successful R01
proposal. The training plan takes full advantage of the strong institutional support and environment at
Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine and the Center for Behavioral Intervention
Technologies, which is led by the primary mentor for this proposal. Training goals necessary to the PI's career
goal include growth in (1) user-centered design for the development of BITs, (2) implementation science, (3)
clinical science including qualitative research and new clinical research methodologies, and (4) advanced
professional skills. This plan builds on the PI's background in clinical psychology, which has focused on tele-
mental health, stress management interventions, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). In this K08, the PI
will extend her work to include new populations (e.g. college students) and settings (college counseling
centers) to increase the impact of her research through earlier intervention. The long-terms goal of the
research is to integrate BITs into existing university healthcare settings, thus broadening the scope and reach
of mental healthcare services. The research plan will develop and test a Student Stress Management (SSM)
mobile program based within the framework of an evidence-based treatment for depression and anxiety. This
program will increase engagement with mental health treatment, and supplement existing care by serving as
an access point to more extensive mental health treatment options and as an independent treatment form. This
will be achieved through the following specific aims: 1) to conduct user-centered design and usability testing to
refine features and tools of the SSM program and determine feasibility and acceptability of the program for use
on campus; 2) to conduct a pilot hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial of the SSM program within two
university communities; and 3) to obtain preliminary data assessing efficacy the SSM program, changes in
hypothesized mechanisms related to efficacy, and university system-level factors that would facilitate or retard
the adoption, implementation, and sustainability of the program. These studies are expected to advance the
design of BITs for young adults, and improve and increase the use of BITs in university settings, ultimately
increasing the reach and impact of evidence-based practices. Skills acquired by carrying out the projects
proposed in this application will allow the PI to successfully compete for R01 funding in or...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10002030
- **Project number:** 5K08MH112878-04
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Emily Gardiner Lattie
- **Activity code:** K08 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $176,582
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-09-20 → 2022-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10002030

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10002030, Expanding College Student Mental Health with Stress Management Mobile Technologies (5K08MH112878-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10002030. Licensed CC0.

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