Dataset Information

Comparing the efficacy of electronic cognitive behavioral therapy to medication and combination therapy for generalized anxiety disorder: a quasi-experimental clinical trial.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a debilitating mental health disorder with first-line treatments include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and pharmacotherapy. CBT is costly, time-consuming, and inaccessible. Electronic delivery (e-CBT) is a promising solution to address these barriers. However, due to the novelty of this intervention, more research testing the e-CBT efficacy independently and in conjunction with other treatments is needed.

Objective

This study investigated the efficacy of e-CBT compared to and in conjunction with pharmacotherapy for GAD.

Methods

This study employed a quasi-experimental design where patients selected their preferred treatment modality. Patients with GAD were enrolled in either e-CBT, medication, or combination arms. The 12-week e-CBT program was delivered through a digital platform. The medications followed clinical guidelines. The efficacy of each arm was evaluated using questionnaires measuring depression, anxiety, and stress severity, as well as quality of life.

Results

There were no significant differences between arms (N e-CBT = 41; N Medication = 41; N Combination = 33) in the number of weeks completed or baseline scores. All arms showed improvements in anxiety scores after treatment. The medication and combination arms improved depression scores. The e-CBT and Combination arms improved quality of life, and the combination arm improved stress scores. There were no differences between the groups in depression, anxiety, or stress scores post-treatment. However, the combination arm had a significantly larger improvement in quality of life. Gender and treatment arm were not predictors of dropout, whereas younger age was.

Conclusion

Incorporating e-CBT on its own or in combination with pharmaceutical interventions is a viable option for treating GAD. Treating GAD with e-CBT or medication appears to offer significant improvements in symptoms, with no meaningful difference between the two. Combining the treatments also offer significant improvements, while not necessarily superior to either independently. The findings suggest that all options are viable. Taking the patient's preferred treatment route based on their lifestyle, personality, and beliefs into account when deciding on treatment should be a priority for care providers.

SUBMITTER: Stephenson C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10732166 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Comparing the efficacy of electronic cognitive behavioral therapy to medication and combination therapy for generalized anxiety disorder: a quasi-experimental clinical trial.

Stephenson Callum C Moghimi Elnaz E Shao Yijia Y Kumar Anchan A Yee Caitlin S CS Miller Shadé S Stefatos Anthi A Gholamzadehmir Maedeh M Abbaspour Zara Z Jagayat Jasleen J Shirazi Amirhossein A Gizzarelli Tessa T Gutierrez Gilmar G Khan Ferwa F Patel Charmy C Patel Archana A Yang Megan M Omrani Mohsen M Alavi Nazanin N

Frontiers in psychiatry 20231206

<h4>Background</h4>Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a debilitating mental health disorder with first-line treatments include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and pharmacotherapy. CBT is costly, time-consuming, and inaccessible. Electronic delivery (e-CBT) is a promising solution to address these barriers. However, due to the novelty of this intervention, more research testing the e-CBT efficacy independently and in conjunction with other treatments is needed.<h4>Objective</h4>This study i ...[more]

PMID: 38125282

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundGeneralized anxiety disorder (GAD) is an extremely prevalent and debilitating mental health disorder. Currently, the gold standard treatment for GAD is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and/or pharmacotherapy. The most common medications used to treat GAD are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. While CBT is the gold standard treatment for GAD, it is costly, time-consuming, and often inaccessible. Fortunately, the electronic delivery of CBT (e-CBT) has emerged as a promising solution to address these barriers. e-CBT has shown to offer comparable results to in-person CBT while improving accessibility for patients and time efficiency for clinicians.ObjectiveThis study aims to investigate the treatment efficacy of e-CBT compared to and in conjunction with pharmacotherapy for GAD.MethodsThis study will use a quasi-experimental design to allow patients the freedom to choose which treatment modality they would like to receive. Participants with a diagnosis of GAD will be enrolled in 1 of 3 possible treatment arms: (1) e-CBT, (2) medication, or (3) a combination of e-CBT and medication. The e-CBT program will include a 12-week psychotherapy program delivered through the Online Psychotherapy Tool-a secure, cloud-based, digital mental health platform. The treatment efficacy of e-CBT will be compared with that of medication alone and medication in combination with e-CBT.ResultsThe study received ethics approval in April 2019 and participant recruitment began in June 2019. Participant recruitment has been conducted through social media advertisements, physical advertisements, and physician referrals. To date, 146 participants (e-CBT: n=53; medication: n=49; combination: n=44) have been recruited. Data collection is expected to conclude by June 2021, and data analysis is expected to be completed by October 2021. Linear regression (for continuous outcomes) and binomial regression (for categorical outcomes) analysis will be conducted using interpretive qualitative methods.ConclusionsIf either the efficacy of e-CBT is shown to be comparable to that of medication or the effects of both treatments are augmented when used in tandem, these findings could have major implications on the mental health care system. e-CBT is a more accessible and affordable treatment that could increase mental health care capacity 4-fold if proven viable.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT04478526; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04478526.International registered report identifier (irrid)DERR1-10.2196/27772.

Project description:BackgroundAnxiety disorders are common psychiatric conditions affecting children and adolescents. Although cognitive behavioral therapy and selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors have shown efficacy in treating these disorders, little is known about their relative or combined efficacy.MethodsIn this randomized, controlled trial, we assigned 488 children between the ages of 7 and 17 years who had a primary diagnosis of separation anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, or social phobia to receive 14 sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy, sertraline (at a dose of up to 200 mg per day), a combination of sertraline and cognitive behavioral therapy, or a placebo drug for 12 weeks in a 2:2:2:1 ratio. We administered categorical and dimensional ratings of anxiety severity and impairment at baseline and at weeks 4, 8, and 12.ResultsThe percentages of children who were rated as very much or much improved on the Clinician Global Impression-Improvement scale were 80.7% for combination therapy (P<0.001), 59.7% for cognitive behavioral therapy (P<0.001), and 54.9% for sertraline (P<0.001); all therapies were superior to placebo (23.7%). Combination therapy was superior to both monotherapies (P<0.001). Results on the Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale documented a similar magnitude and pattern of response; combination therapy had a greater response than cognitive behavioral therapy, which was equivalent to sertraline, and all therapies were superior to placebo. Adverse events, including suicidal and homicidal ideation, were no more frequent in the sertraline group than in the placebo group. No child attempted suicide. There was less insomnia, fatigue, sedation, and restlessness associated with cognitive behavioral therapy than with sertraline.ConclusionsBoth cognitive behavioral therapy and sertraline reduced the severity of anxiety in children with anxiety disorders; a combination of the two therapies had a superior response rate. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00052078.)

Project description:BackgroundGeneralized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a prevalent anxiety disorder, with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) being the gold standard treatment. However, it is inaccessible and costly to many, as the mental health industry is overwhelmed by the demand for treatment. This means effective, accessible, and time-saving strategies must be developed to combat these problems. Web-based interventions for mental health disorders are an innovative and promising way to address these barriers. While electronically delivered CBT (e-CBT) has already proved productive and scalable for treating anxiety, other less resource-intensive interventions can be innovated. Checking up on mental health face-to-face has been shown to provide similar benefits to patients with anxiety disorders previously, but more research is needed to evaluate the efficacy of web-based delivery of this intervention.ObjectiveThis study will compare the efficacy of e-CBT and a web-based mental health check-in program to treat GAD. These programs will both be delivered through a secure, web-based care delivery platform.MethodsWe will randomly allocate participants (N=100) who are 18 years or older with a confirmed diagnosis of GAD to either an e-CBT program or a mental health check-in program over 12 weeks to address their anxiety symptoms. Participants in the e-CBT arm will complete predesigned modules and homework assignments while receiving personalized feedback and asynchronous interaction with a therapist through the platform. Participants in the mental health check-in arm will be contacted weekly through the web-based platform's written chat feature (messaging system). Therapists will ask the participants a series of predesigned questions that revolve around a different theme each week to prompt conversation. Using clinically validated questionnaires, the efficacy of the e-CBT arm will be compared to the mental health check-in arm. These questionnaires will be completed at baseline, week 6, and week 12.ResultsThe study received ethics approval in April 2021, and participant recruitment began in May 2021. Participant recruitment has been conducted through targeted advertisements and physician referrals. Complete data collection and analysis are expected to conclude by August 2023. Linear and binomial regression (continuous and categorical outcomes, respectively) will be conducted.ConclusionsTo the research team's knowledge, this will be the first study to date comparing the efficacy of e-CBT with a web-based mental health check-in program to treat GAD. The findings from this study can help progress the development of more scalable, accessible, and efficacious mental health treatments.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT04754438; https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04754438.International registered report identifier (irrid)DERR1-10.2196/48899.

Dataset Information

Comparing the efficacy of electronic cognitive behavioral therapy to medication and combination therapy for generalized anxiety disorder: a quasi-experimental clinical trial.

Background

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Comparing the efficacy of electronic cognitive behavioral therapy to medication and combination therapy for generalized anxiety disorder: a quasi-experimental clinical trial.

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