AWARE Intervention: Feasibility and Efficacy Trial at Three University Health Services Centers

The goal of this study is to test the efficacy and the feasibility of the Asian Women's Action for Resilience and Empowerment (AWARE) intervention, in the real world setting -- student health service centers at Boston University, Wellesley College, and Harvard University. AWARE is an 8-week group intervention specifically designed to address mental health and sexual health issues among Asian-Pacific Islander (API) women. One AWARE group (final number of 8-10 API women who will be treated) will be held at BU Student Health Services, two groups at Wellesley College, and two groups at Harvard University Health Services for undergraduate and graduate students who meet the demographic and clinical criteria. During the intervention period, participants will attend the AWARE group counseling sessions, which are 90 minutes, once a week, for 8 weeks. Each week's session is focused on a specific theme related to the cultural and gender-specific issues typical among young Asian American women. The sessions are led by staff therapists at either institution. Participants will fill out forms that detail their therapeutic goals ("commitments") and any adverse emotional/behavioral events from the past week. Participants will also receive daily text messages that reinforce the group session themes. Participants will be assessed pre- and post-intervention on clinical outcomes, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, and suicidality, using standardized quantitative instruments. This serves to evaluate the efficacy of AWARE at improving mental health outcomes. Participants will also participate in a post-intervention focus group session to evaluate the program's implementation and suggest ways for future improvement.