Decreasing Depression and Anxiety in College Youth Using the Creating Opportunities for Personal Empowerment Program (COPE)

BACKGROUND: College is a time of major transition in the lives of many young adults. Roughly 30% of college students have reported that anxiety and depressive symptoms negatively affect their lives and academic functioning. Currently, anxiety has surpassed depression as the reason college students seek help at counseling centers. Unfortunately, only one third of students receive treatment for anxiety and only 25% of students receive treatment for their depression. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this pilot project were to (a) assess levels of depression and anxiety in identified “at risk” college students who present to the college Student Health Services (Primary Care), (b) implement a new cognitive behavioral therapy–based intervention titled “Creating Opportunities for Personal Empowerment” (COPE), and (c) evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention on students’ levels of depression and anxiety as well as satisfaction with the intervention. DESIGN: A one group pre- and post-test design was used. Results: Students who received COPE demonstrated clinically meaningful improvement in depressive and anxiety symptoms as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory–II and the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory. CONCLUSION: COPE is an effective brief program for reducing depression and anxiety in college-age youth. Implementation of evidenced-based programs into the college experience could lead to less severe depression and anxiety and better academic performance, ultimately increasing the likelihood of students successfully completing their academic programs.