[version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review]
No competing interests were disclosed.
Cyclothymic disorder is defined by temperamental mood reactivity and instability, as well as hypomanic and depressed symptoms that do not satisfy standards for hypomanic episodes and significant depressive symptoms during a two-year period in adults and one year in children (
The cyclothymic disorder has a male-to-female ratio of 1:1 and a lifetime frequency of about 0.4% and 1% (
The current diagnostic criteria for cyclothymic disorder as per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) and International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10), emphasize on the episodic nature of the mood symptoms observed in this disorder, which can be challenging from both diagnostic and therapeutic standpoints (
The study is designed as a single-centric, cross-sectional study where a web-based survey will be used to evaluate the prevalence of cyclothymic disorder in a chosen population.
The participants included in this study have not been involved in drafting the study design or objectives. Additionally, information about the study protocols will be shared with the university authorities prior to data collection.
The study will be initiated upon receiving approval from the Institutional Ethics Committee of Datta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research. Participant data will be collected anonymously and confidentiality will be maintained. Participants enrolling for this study will be given the option of allowing their data to be used for analyses.
The results from this study will be disseminated through the publication of peer-reviewed manuscripts in indexed journals, presentations at scientific meetings, and/or conferences with local stakeholders. The researchers may also communicate aggregated results to members of the public and clinical professionals through
The participant must be between the ages of 18–22, willing to sign a voluntary informed written consent, be able to read and comprehend English, have access to a smartphone/tablet/laptop with an internet connection, and have an absence of any psychiatric illness.
Participants who deal with psychiatric illness and/or take psychotropic medications and/or have a history of substance abuse will be excluded from the study.
A minimum sample size of 154 participants has been calculated, as seen below.
The minimum sample size required:
Z 1−α/2 = 1. 96 at 5% level of significance
Considering lifetime prevalence of cyclothymic disorder is approximately = 0.4% = 0.004 as per ref. article (
Data will be collected over a period of 4 weeks.
Participants will be contacted through their respective official WhatsApp (online messaging portal) groups that are regulated by class representatives. Background and qualifying information regarding the study along with the link to access the web-based survey will be sent to the students via the WhatsApp groups.
Participation in the study will be entirely voluntary and participants will have the choice to withdraw from the study at any point during the survey period without giving any reasons.
The web-based survey will consist of three parts.
The three-part survey will be conducted using Google Forms as the survey administration software of choice. The TEMPS-A questionnaire will be administered as part three of the survey for the assessment of cyclothymic disorder in the sample population.
We provide a clear description of the study’s objectives and procedures, which will ensure that participants give written informed consent on a voluntary basis. We will collect non-identifying data from students who consent to participate in the survey, and exclude students who do not sign the consent form that is in part one of the survey.
Demographic variables will be presented as descriptive summaries such as median±SD, or percentages for continuous variables and proportions for categorical variables. Specifically, group differences will be analysed using independent-sample t-tests and analysis of variance. P values of <0.05 will be considered statistically significant. Stata version 15 software will be used for statistical analysis.
Despite the study’s limitation of screening HPE university students at a single site, we seek to propose clinical trials throughout the region if results show a strong association between incidence of cyclothymic disorder and medical, socio-economic, environmental, social, or developmental factors. We will also inform students at DMIHER about beneficial community programmes and practicing psychotherapists. Early recognition of cyclothymic disorder avails physicians to specifically treat their patients and avoid unnecessary complications.
The proposed study will be among the first few studies that will comprehensively investigate the prevalence of cyclothymic disorder among HPE students in Central India. Although the results are generalised to HPE students, this study may contribute to a better understanding of relationships between students based on certain criteria and cyclothymic symptoms, enable subsequent interventional studies to identify at-risk groups and test the feasibility of clinical interventions and community programmes that aim to improve mental health outcomes in students. It will provide helpful health information about young adults that is relevant to clinicians, researchers and policymakers in India. On the other hand, it lacks other in-depth analysis of mental health assessments owing to sample size and cost considerations.
We are firming up the study’s survey so we can start piloting the study.
No data are associated with this article.