Treatment for Graduate Students: Blunting the Emotional Toll of Postgraduate Education

Objectives: Graduate students are at greater risk of developing mental health concerns than other adults in their age group. Despite the need for care within this population, there is a lack of literature on accessible interventions designed specifically to meet the needs of graduate students. The present study examines the efficacy of a novel intervention: Mood Lifters for Graduate Students (ML-GS). Method: This study is a clinical trial with randomization. The sample size consisted of 131 participants. The average age was 25.95 years, and the sample was 88.5% women, 61.8% White, and 65.6% straight or heterosexual. Participants completed the same survey before and after participating in ML-GS, as well as 1-month after completing ML-GS. Three measures from those surveys were examined in this study: Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, and Perceived Stress Scale. Two-way mixed-design analyses of variance (ANOVAs) and repeated measures ANOVAs were used to analyze these data. Results: Results indicated that participants enrolled in ML-GS experienced significant, clinically meaningful reductions in depression, anxiety, and stress, when compared to their waitlist counterparts. The changes made during the ML-GS program were also maintained at the 1-month follow-up. Conclusions: These findings suggest that ML-GS is effective in reducing depression, anxiety, and stress among graduate students. It may be a good solution for the large demand for mental health support in that population.