When student had their say through the U-Flourish surveys, the importance of a becoming more aware of their well-being, a single hub for resources, and to customize their well-being goals was raised. On October 31st, an updated version of the U-Flourish Digital Well-Being tool (powered by i-spero) will be launched! With more user-friendly navigation, you can set your own well-being goals, track your progress, and be alerted when there are resources that you might find helpful based on your entries. Participants are also offered access to five digital resources through i-spero: Daylight (to help manage worry and anxiety), Sleepio (to help with sleep problems), Digital CBTe (to help with symptoms of binge eating), ArtHive (to increase social connectedness through art), and Take30 (to explore culture and heritage sites digitally with a group). This tool is under continuous development in partnership with students and is a part of an ongoing U-Flourish research project funded by the Mach Gaensslen Foundation and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. In parallel, this digital student well-being tool is being evaluated across several UK universities with funding from the Medical Research Council.
You have had you say and we have heard. Consider partnering with us now to try out this digital well-being tool and tell us what you think of it and how it can improve to support student well-being and academic success. Click the link below to register for i-spero and gain access to these resources!
i-spero is a web-based, student health passport that can enable students to better understand and track their well-being over time. Students can record and monitor their progress by filling out brief questionnaires on i-spero, accessible on any computer or mobile device. i-spero is flexible and allows students to add well-being plans and wellness activities (i.e., physical activity, mindfulness), health-related appointments, and set SMS or e-mail reminders. Students can also share their dashboard with family members, friends, or healthcare providers.
Currently, three self-guided apps are offered through this research study: Daylight (for managing worry and anxiety), Sleepio (for managing sleep), and Digital CBTe (for help with binge eating). These resources have been proven effective among youth and young adults in the United Kingdom. There are two live and scheduled events which students can access through i-spero, Art Hive (group exploration of art) and Take 30 (group exploration of cultural sites). We want to know whether these resources are acceptable and effective for improving students' well-being. All resources or programs can be accessed under the "Wellbeing Plan" menu under the "U-Flourish Digital Apps" section on i-spero.
Click to Learn More About Art Hive:
Art Hive is a creative community that draws upon the innately therapeutic nature of artmaking. Make time for yourself to recharge and get inspired! Art Hive invites you to experiment and play as you mindfully create. All levels of artistic experience are welcome. An Art Hive Kit with materials will be available for collection at Agnes for all participants. Register in advance for the first of eight sessions which begins on February 14th through i-spero.
Click to Learn More About Take 30:
T30TV has an international and intergenerational membership who weekly enjoy ‘escaping, exploring and e-socialising with the world of heritage’. The T30TV programme includes:
- 'Visits’ to heritage collections, venues and sites across the globe, in the company of Guest Guides through virtual tours, powerpoint presentations and live streaming tours. From Sydney Living Museum to Edinburgh Castle, the Library of Parliament, Canada, to the Shangri La Museum and Decorated Farmhouses of Sweden to Mount Stuart.
-‘Get lost’ in stories of characters, events, discoveries and places that range in theme from the heritage of bees to the beginnings of the Gothic Novel and Polar Explorations to the origins of Botanic gardens.
-Participation in monthly Member’s Heritage Share events, getting to know other members online
Click to Learn More About Daylight:
Daylight is a fully automated digital worry and anxiety improvement program based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for Generalized Anxiety Disorder. While often initially triggered by a stressful life event, Generalized Anxiety Disorder is maintained by unhelpful behaviours and thoughts. Daylight targets these unhelpful behaviours and thoughts using evidence-based cognitive and behavioural techniques. Reducing these unhelpful behaviours and thoughts leads to a reduction in Generalized Anxiety Disorder symptoms.
Click to Learn More About Sleepio:
Sleepio is a fully automated digital sleep improvement program based on cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). While typically triggered by a stressful life event, insomnia is maintained by unhelpful behaviours and thoughts. Over the course of six sessions, your virtual sleep expert -- The Prof -- teaches you evidence-based cognitive and behavioural techniques, sleep hygiene education, and relaxation exercises to target these unhelpful behaviours and thoughts. Reducing these unhelpful behaviours and thoughts leads to a reduction in insomnia symptoms and improved sleep,
Click to Learn More About Digital CBTe:
Digital CBTe is a fully automated online self-help program for adults with binge eating symptoms. Recurrent binge eating responds well to a specific psychological treatment, a form of cognitive behaviour therapy for eating disorders called enhanced cognitive behavioural therapy. This treatment has been converted into an online self-help program called “Digital CBTe”, which consists of 12 sessions over 8 weeks. Each session takes approximately 20 minutes to complete. Users can complete these sessions wherever they want but need to be in a private place and where there is internet access. At the end of each Digital CBTe session there is a "To Do List" in which the action points from the session are summarised. In order to benefit from the program, users are asked to complete the action points between sessions,
Please note: these apps are optional and you do not need to use them to access i-spero self-monitoring.
Click here to view the Letter of Information for the Digital Well-Being Resources research study.
In order to improve this digital tool, we need students to try it out. Incentives will be offered to thank students for their participation in research to develop this resource. For using the U-Flourish Well-Being Digital Tool (powered by i-spero) for 8 weeks and completing the student satisfaction survey at 6 weeks, students will be sent a $5 Starbucks gift card to their student email! In addition, for each week of completed data* during this 8-week period, students will automatically receive one entry to a draw for 1 of 5 iPads. Starbucks gift cards and iPad draws will take place at the end of the academic year in May 2023.
*the minimum engagement with i-spero to constitute a week of use includes completing the weekly GAD-2 and PHQ-2 surveys (total of 4 questions/week) and the monthly WEMWBS questions (total of 7 questions/month) when prompted. You may choose to complete additional surveys and engage with suggested care plans at your own discretion.
Access the Digital Well-being Resources
To access the digital well-being resources, follow the following steps.
1. Review the Letter of Information and click on the image to the right ("Maintain your well-being this year!") to register for i-spero.
2. Fill in your registration info, including your @queensu.ca e-mail address. You will be asked to consent to use i-spero, and to participate in the research study.
3. Once you've created your account, you can complete your pre-assessment measures of well-being. If you're interested in using a digital app, you can add one through the 'Care Plans' screen on your i-spero dashboard. Once you have added the care plan, return to your main care plans screen to access the link to the app. Please note that you must continue to access the app through i-spero in order to receive free access, and to remain in the study.
Already have an i-spero account? Click here to login.
Connect with us
For more information about the U-Flourish program of research, please feel free to contact our research team at flourish@queensu.ca.
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