Self-care among PhD students: the potential and limitations in encouraging peers to adopt self-care habits

Last registered on August 20, 2024
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Self-care among PhD students: the potential and limitations in encouraging peers to adopt self-care habits
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0013864
Initial registration date
August 13, 2024

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
August 20, 2024, 11:58 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Alessandro Giambrone
Affiliation
University of Southern California
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2024-08-12
End date
2024-11-01
Keywords
Behavior, Health
Additional Keywords
mental health, stigma, self-care, information sharing
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Self-care among PhD students is a crucial determinant of their academic success and overall well-being. Although universities offer various services, such as mental health care, time management resources, and mentorship programs, these benefits are only realized if students choose to access them. Various barriers, including financial and opportunity costs, as well as behavioral factors related to perceptions, knowledge, and beliefs about these services, can deter students from engaging with them.
This experiment aims to test whether PhD students across the US are willing to promote self-care habits among their peers by associating their names with statements about self-care practices and to estimate students' willingness to accept any shame—or their willingness to pay for the pride—associated with publicly endorsing these statements.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Giambrone, Alessandro. 2024. "Self-care among PhD students: the potential and limitations in encouraging peers to adopt self-care habits." AEA RCT Registry. August 20. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.13864-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2024-08-19
Intervention End Date
2024-11-01

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
1) Group's likelihood to accept to publicly endorse the message
2) WTP to be chosen to endorse the message
3) WTA to agree to endorse the message
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
1) Percentage of students within each group that accepts to endorse the message
2) Bids from the second price auctions
3) Bids from the reverse price auctions

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Selected students will receive a survey which will ask them questions on 1) demographics, 2) job prospect and productivity, 3) mental health assessment and expected result and believed average result among PhD students, 4) experience with therapy and common mental disorders, and 5) beliefs about mental health institutions. The survey will also include a sharing game intended to assess their willingness to publicly endorse a message on self-care
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by a computer.
Randomization Unit
PhD students
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
120 departments
Sample size: planned number of observations
1,200
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Group 1: 300 WI
Group 2: 300 MH within
Group 3: 300 MH outside
Group 4: 300 MH faculty
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University of Southern California IRB
IRB Approval Date
2024-07-25
IRB Approval Number
UP-24-00470
Analysis Plan