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Student EducationNCT07192445

Usability of Graphic Medicine in Psychology Education

A study testing Reading of Mental Health Graphic Novels in people with Student Education and Psychology, run by Fundación Pública Andaluza para la Investigación de Málaga en Biomedicina y Salud at 1 site in Spain.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

This study explores the use of graphic medicine-which includes comics, graphic novels, and illustrations-as an innovative educational tool for psychology students learning about mental health. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Student Education, Psychology
What is being tested?
Reading of Mental Health Graphic Novels
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
158 participants
Where
1 siteSpain
Study dates
18 Feb 2025to 18 Feb 2025
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • . Second-year Psychology students studying Psychopathology.

Who cannot join

  • . Students with language barriers.
  • . Students with severe reading or comprehension difficulties.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Spain1 site

  • University of Málaga

    Málaga, Málaga

Other trials in Spain

About this study

Official title: Exploring the Usability of Graphic Medicine as an Educational Tool Among Psychology Students

This study explores the use of graphic medicine-which includes comics, graphic novels, and illustrations-as an innovative educational tool for psychology students learning about mental health. Traditional teaching methods, such as lectures and textbooks, are effective for delivering theoretical knowledge but may not fully capture the complexity of mental health experiences or encourage the empathy needed for future clinical practice. Graphic medicine offers a visual and narrative approach that can make abstract concepts more tangible, encourage active participation in learning, and foster emotional connection.

The primary aim of the study is to evaluate the usability of mental health-themed graphic novels among psychology students. Usability is assessed using the User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ), which measures aspects such as attractiveness, clarity, efficiency, reliability, stimulation, and novelty. Secondary aims include examining changes in students' emotional responses (positive and negative affect), motivation to learn about mental health, enjoyment of reading graphic novels, attitudes toward their use in education, willingness to use them in the future, and perceptions of their validity.

Read more

This is a pre-post quasi-experimental study involving psychology students from the University of Málaga. During the intervention, participants read selected excerpts from graphic novels that portray real-life experiences of individuals with mental health conditions, their families, and professionals involved in their care. These narratives aim to bridge the gap between theory and real-life application and evoke empathy.

Before and after the reading activity, students complete self-report questionnaires assessing usability and the secondary variables. Data analysis involves Wilcoxon signed-rank test for paired samples, with Bonferroni correction applied to control for multiple comparisons, and a thematic analysis with Atlas.ti.

Being tested
Reading of Mental Health Graphic Novels
Keywords
comic book, graphic novel, mental health, university
Medical subject headings
Psychological Well-Being

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Reading of Mental Health Graphic NovelsOther

    Participants read carefully selected excerpts from graphic novels focused on mental health. These excerpts integrate written narratives with visual storytelling to illustrate daily life challenges, symptoms, interpersonal relationships, and treatment experiences in mental health contexts. The intervention is conducted individually in a supervised classroom environment. Along with the graphic novel, a guide is provided with questions designed to encourage focused and reflective reading.

Study groups in NCT07192445
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Graphic Medicine Reading InterventionExperimentalParticipants in this arm read selected excerpts from mental health-themed graphic novels. The materials portray personal experiences of individuals with mental health conditions, their families, and healthcare professionals. The excerpts combine narrative text and visual storytelling to illustrate real-life challenges, coping strategies, and perspectives related to mental health. The reading session is completed individually in a classroom setting.
Receives: Other: Reading of Mental Health Graphic Novels

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Usability

    The User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ) is designed to help people reflect on their feelings, impressions, and attitudes associated with the use of a product. It consists of six scales: Efficiency, Perspicuity, and Dependability (pragmatic dimension); Stimulation and Novelty (hedonic dimension); and Attractiveness. It presents 26 items that are evaluated on a scale ranging from -3 to +3, where -3 indicates the most negative response, 0 a neutral response, and +3 the most positive. The results are grouped around six main dimensions, organized into two broad categories: pragmatic quality (which encompasses aspects related to the usability and functionality of the resource) and hedonic quality (linked to the emotional, motivational, and aesthetic dimensions of the experience) (Schrepp, 2015).

    Measured: Before and after the intervention (Baseline and one hour later)

Secondary outcomes (9)

  1. Positive and negative affect

    The extent to which participants experienced positive (fun, joy, optimism, confidence, gratitude, calm, wonder, happiness, etc.) and negative (stress, fear, irritability, guilt, shame, sadness, hatred, nervousness, shyness, etc.) emotions scored on Likert scales (1-5).

    Measured: Before and after the intervention (Baseline and one hour later)

  2. Motivation to learn about mental health

    The level of interest, engagement, and willingness of participants to learn about mental health scored on a Likert scale (1-10).

    Measured: Before and after the intervention (Baseline and one hour later)

  3. Motivation to read mental health graphic novels

    The level of interest and willingness of participants to read mental health graphic novels before and after the intervention scored on a Likert scale (1-10).

    Measured: Before and after the intervention (Baseline and one hour later)

  4. Enjoyment of reading mental health graphic novels

    The degree to which participants found graphic novels enjoyable, engaging, and satisfactory on a Likert scale (1-10).

    Measured: Before and after the intervention (Baseline and one hour later)

  5. Attitudes toward graphic novels

    Participants' perceptions of learning effectiveness, empathy, and content retention when using graphic novels compared to traditional learning methods (e.g., lectures) on a Likert scale (1-10).

    Measured: Before the intervention (Baseline and one hour later)

  6. Perception of graphic novels in mental health education

    Changes in participants' understanding and conceptualization of graphic novels as educational resources in the context of mental health (yes/no).

    Measured: After the intervention (One hour later)

  7. Willingness to use mental health graphic novels

    The degree to which participants expressed willingness to borrow graphic novels from the Graphic Psychology section of the university library on a Likert scale (1-10).

    Measured: Before and after the intervention (Baseline and one hour later)

  8. Content validity of the graphic novels

    The content and format of each graphic novel evaluated on a Likert scale (1 = Does not meet the criterion; 5 = High level of compliance with the criterion) (Escobar-Pérez \& Cuervo-Martínez, 2008): a) Comprehensibility: It is presented in a way that the content is easily understood, without confusion or ambiguity; b) Adequacy: It is appropriately tailored to address the selected mental health problem; c) Sufficiency: It includes all essential information to adequately represent the chosen mental health issue; d) Clarity: It is easy to understand, without excessive complexity and using appropriate language; e) Coherence: The narrative and visual elements of the graphic novel remain logical and consistent throughout the story: f) Relevance: The content is directly and significantly linked to the mental health issue addressed; g) Format: The visual structure, typography, and layout of the text in the graphic novel are attractive and functional,.

    Measured: After the intervention (One hour later)

  9. Reflections

    Open-ended questions: a) Empathy: How did the story make you feel?; b) Application to psychology: How could this content be applied in clinical practice?; c) Visual and narrative representation: What impact have the graphic elements (composition, colors, sizes, facial expressions, etc.) had on your understanding as a reader?

    Measured: After the intervention (One hour later)

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted25 Sep 2025
  2. Study start18 Feb 2025
  3. Primary completion18 Feb 2025
  4. Study completion18 Feb 2025

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Other
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
158 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT07192445
Sponsor's protocol ID
96-2022-Hf
Status last verified
Sep 2025
First submitted
4 Sep 2025
Last updated
25 Sep 2025
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Undecided

Publications

  • Lesinska-Sawicka M. Using graphic medicine in teaching multicultural nursing: a quasi-experimental study. BMC Med Educ. 2023 Apr 17;23(1):255. doi: 10.1186/s12909-023-04223-2.

    PubMed 37069640

  • Williams L, Harstade CW, Anderson N, Deshmukh A, Gayton A, Gott M, Guo P, Nicol J, Tavares T, Waterworth S. Nursing students' reactions to a graphic novel: A multi-national descriptive qualitative study. Nurse Educ Today. 2024 Aug;139:106229. doi: 10.1016/j.nedt.2024.106229. Epub 2024 Apr 25.

    PubMed 38691902

  • Consorti F, Fiorucci S, Martucci G, Lai S. Graphic Novels and Comics in Undergraduate and Graduate Medical Students Education: A Scoping Review. Eur J Investig Health Psychol Educ. 2023 Oct 16;13(10):2262-2275. doi: 10.3390/ejihpe13100160.

    PubMed 37887161

  • Anderson PF, Wescom E, Carlos RC. Difficult Doctors, Difficult Patients: Building Empathy. J Am Coll Radiol. 2016 Dec;13(12 Pt B):1590-1598. doi: 10.1016/j.jacr.2016.09.015.

    PubMed 27888946

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Reading of Mental Health Graphic Novels in people with Student Education and Psychology, run by Fundación Pública Andaluza para la Investigación de Málaga en Biomedicina y Salud at 1 site in Spain.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 25 Sep 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Spain. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Usability (time frame: Before and after the intervention (Baseline and one hour later)). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT07192445, which also lists 4 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 25 Sep 2025.

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