The Effect of Interpersonal Counseling for Subthreshold Depression in Undergraduates: An Exploratory Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: Subthreshold depression and poor stress coping strategies are major public health problems among undergraduates. Interpersonal counseling (IPC) is a brief structured psychological intervention originally designed for use in primary care to treat depressive patients whose symptoms arose from current life stress. OBJECTIVES: This study examined the efficacy of IPC in treating subthreshold depression and coping strategies among undergraduates in school counseling. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We carried out an exploratory randomized controlled trial comparing the efficacy of IPC with counseling as usual (CAU). Participants were 31 undergraduates exhibiting depression without a psychiatric diagnosis. RESULTS: The Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale total score decreased significantly in the IPC group (n = 15; Z = −2.675, p = .007), but not in the CAU group (n = 16). The task-oriented coping score of the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations showed a tendency towards a greater increase in the IPC group than in the CAU group (t = 1.919, df = 29, p = .065). CONCLUSIONS: The IPC might be more useful for student counseling because it can teach realistic coping methods and reduce depressive symptoms in a short period. Further studies using more participants are required.