Study on the Effectiveness and Differential Usability of the UP in Spanish University Students

Introduction: Emotional Disorders (EDs) are the most common disorders among the young population. Despite their high prevalence in university students, data suggest that only 16.4% of students suffering from a mental health disorder receive treatment. Therefore, the present study seeks to compare and analyze the degree of usefulness, acceptability and implementation of the Unified Protocol (UP) in its application in two cost-effective formats, the online group and the Blended online group. Method: The study population will be university students who meet diagnostic criteria for EDs. We estimate a sample of 70 students, 35 per condition. The intervention will consist of the application of the 8 modules of the UP in two formats: online group format of 8 weekly sessions of 2 hours duration and Blended format (4 online group sessions, of two hours duration in modules 1,4,6 and 7 of the UP + autonomous work through the UP-APP). The variables evaluated will be collected before the intervention, in the post-treatment and in the follow-ups at one month and 3 months. This study responds to the need to implement services that improve the availability and access to the treatment of EDs in the university context in Spain, and in this particular case, through the formats offered by a transdiagnostic intervention such as the UP.