(PS14-94) Mood Lifters for Graduate Students and Young Adults: A Mixed Methods Investigation into Mechanisms of Change in an Online Group Therapy

Abstract Text: Mood Lifters (ML) is a dimensional, group-based, peer-led mental health program that has
shown efficacy in mitigating psychopathology and promoting wellness within a variety of
populations. There is not yet evidence for mechanism(s) driving these changes. Qualitative data
exploring the lived experiences of participants may be a unique way to develop hypotheses about
the potential mechanisms driving change. The current study used qualitative and quantitative
data from the ML for Graduate Students (ML-GS) and Young Adults (ML-YA) studies to
generate hypotheses regarding potential mechanisms of changes experienced in ML. 79 graduate
students and 59 non-student young adults provided quantitative and qualitative feedback after
participating in a 12-week virtual ML program. Inductive qualitative analysis was conducted
within a reflexive thematic framework. Descriptive statistics of quantitative measures were also
calculated. Three themes suggest potential directions for future mechanism research on virtual
ML programs. Most participants emphasized the social connections built in groups as the most
potent and powerful aspects of ML, while others focused on the design or content of the
program. Quantitative data presented contextualize the lived experiences of participants. Future
ML research should explore the three themes identified within this study through continued
qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis.