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Thank you for your interest in our new study (the CATALYST Study)

Things You Do Model (Big 5) of Mental Health

Background

 

Our previous research with more than 20,000 people has found that five types of actions are strongly linked to mental health. We call these actions The Things You Do (or The Big 5).

 

They include: 

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  • Healthy Thinking

  • Meaningful Activities

  • Setting Goals

  • Healthy Routines

  • Social Connections

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Our studies have found three important results: 

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  1. These actions are important to most people, regardless of age, gender or background.

  2. 'Nudging' these actions each day can lead to an improvement in mental health. 

  3. Restricting these actions can trigger symptoms of depression and anxiety. ​

Our New Study 

 

We know that the things we do in our daily lives - how we spend our time, how we connect with others, how well we look after ourselves, and how we respond to challenges - can have a powerful effect on mental health and wellbeing. We also know that life doesn't stand still. Major life events and changes, such as changes in relationships, health challenges, career shifts, or financial pressures, can act as catalysts that shift the course of our mental health. 

 

Our new study, the CATALYST Study is a longitudinal research study that follows adults over time to understand the relationship between these everyday actions and mental health. 

 

CATALYST will explore how our daily actions affect our mental health, how personality styles and our beliefs influence that relationship, and how major life events and changes affect these patterns over time. 

 

To do this, we will collect information from a large number of Australian adults at multiple time points. Participants complete a series of questionnaires about their daily activities, personal characteristics, beliefs, life events, and mental health. By following people over time, we can build a much richer picture than a single snapshot would allow. 

 

CATALYST is your study. The insights we gain depend entirely on the generosity of people who share their experiences. Your contribution will help us develop and test new models of mental health that could ultimately inform better support, resources, and interventions for people across different life circumstances. 

 

[CATALYST is short for: Characteristics, Actions, Things-you-do, And Life events: Your Study over Time]. 

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Who is the study suitable for?

The study is suitable for:

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  • Adults aged 16 and older.

  • Who are living in Australia

 

We cannot include people who:

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  • Do not have access to the Internet, are unable to read or understand English


What does the study involve?

You can join the CATALYST Study in one of two ways: 

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The "Baseline Survey" Group​ 

  • If you join the Baseline Survey group we will only ask you to complete one survey (‘Baseline’) – this will take about 25 minutes. 

  • This survey will ask you a broad range of questions, to better understand you, your lifestyle and activities and your context. 

  • After 12 months, you will receive an overall summary of the results of the study. 

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The "Longitudinal Study" Group 

  • If you join the Longitudinal Survey Study we will ask you to complete the Baseline Survey (above), then, once a month, we will invite you to complete another brief set of questionnaires.  

  • These questionnaires will ask about major changes in your life, while also measuring your activity levels and general health.  

  • After 12 months, you will receive an overall summary of the results of the study. 

  • After 24 months, you will also receive an updated overall summary of results of the study. 

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The total duration of this study is: 

 

  1. Baseline Survey Group (1 survey taking about 25 minutes) 

  1. Longitudinal Survey Group (Baseline Survey + one survey a month (ideally 😉) for 24 months 


What are the benefits / risks to participating in this study?

Benefits

We do not know for sure whether there will be any benefits for individuals. However, our experience is that people find the surveys interesting and that they report they learned more about their own mental health. But, we can’t guarantee this will occur.  

 
Risks

We do not know of any risks associated with participating in this trial. However, if you become concerned about your mental health, please contact us and we will assist you. 


What have we found so far?

We have found that regularly doing the actions we call the Things You Do (Big 5) is associated with better mental health and lower levels of anxiety and depression symptoms. We have also found that simple interventions that prompt people to increase how often they do the Big 5 also significantly improves their mental health and reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression. 

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Some of the key papers we have published in this area are: 

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  • Bisby MA, Barrett V, Staples LG, Nielssen O, Dear BF, Titov N. (2024). Things You Do: A randomized controlled trial of an unguided ultra-brief intervention to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 105, 102882.  

  • Titov N, Dagnall A, Fisher A, Nielssen O, Kayrouz R, Jones M, Hadjistavropoulos H, Rock D, Staples L, Dear B. (2026). Impact of Restriction-Resumption Protocols on Mood and Anxiety in Healthy Adults: Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Formative Research,10, e90532 

  • itov N, Dear BF, Bisby MA, Nielssen O, Staples LG, Kayrouz R, ... & Karin E. (2022). Measures of daily activities associated with mental health (Things You Do Questionnaire): development of a preliminary psychometric study and replication study. JMIR Formative Research, 6(7), e38837. 

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What is the current trial or study looking at?

Our new study, the CATALYST Study is a longitudinal research study that follows adults over time to understand the relationship between these everyday actions and mental health. 

 

CATALYST will explore how our daily actions affect our mental health, how personality styles and our beliefs influence that relationship, and how major life events and changes affect these patterns over time. 

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You can read more about the current study by reading the Participant Information and Consent Form Statement.

When can I start?

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If you are interested in this study, please click the 'Register Now' button below and follow the prompts.  

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We will email all registrants when we open the study for recruitment. 

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Interested in this study?
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