scholarly journals Effects of an internet-based self-help intervention for psychological distress due to COVID-19: Results of a randomized controlled trial

2021 ◽  
pp. 100492
Author(s):  
Noemi Anja Brog ◽  
Julia Katharina Hegy ◽  
Thomas Berger ◽  
Hansjörg Znoj
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Self Help

scholarly journals An internet-based self-help intervention for people with psychological distress due to COVID-19: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Trials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Noemi Anja Brog ◽  
Julia Katharina Hegy ◽  
Thomas Berger ◽  
Hansjörg Znoj
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
The Self ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Self Help ◽  
Parallel Group ◽  
Related Quality ◽  
Health Related

Abstract Background The coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) has reached pandemic status and is affecting countries all over the world. The COVID-19 pandemic is accompanied by various stressors that require adjustment in everyday life and possibly changes in personal future prospects. While some individuals cope well with these challenges, some develop psychological distress including depressive symptoms, anxiety, or stress. Internet-based self-help interventions have proven to be effective in the treatment of various mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. Based on that, we developed an internet-based self-help program for individuals with psychological distress due to the situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. The 3-week self-help program consists of 6 modules comprising texts, videos, figures, and exercises. Participants can request guidance within the self-help program (guidance on demand). The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of the self-help program compared to a waiting control condition. Methods The design is a parallel group randomized controlled trial. Participants are allocated to a 3-week self-help intervention plus care as usual or a 3-week waiting period with only care as usual. There are follow-ups after 6 weeks and 18 weeks. At least 80 participants with COVID-19 pandemic related psychological distress will be recruited. Primary outcome are depressive symptoms. Secondary outcomes include anxiety and chronic stress, suicidal experiences and behavior, health-related quality of life, generalized optimism and pessimism, embitterment, optimistic self-beliefs, emotion regulation skills, loneliness, resilience, and the satisfaction with and usability of the self-help program. Discussion To the best of our knowledge, this is one of the first studies investigating the efficacy of an internet-based self-help program for psychological distress due to the situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, the results of this study may give further insight into the use of internet-based self-help programs in pandemic-related psychological distress. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04380909. Retrospectively registered on 8 May 2020.

scholarly journals An Internet-Based Self-Help Intervention for People with Psychological Distress Due to COVID-19: Study Protocol for A Randomized Controlled Trial.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noemi Anja Brog ◽  
Julia Hegy ◽  
Thomas Berger ◽  
Hansjörg Znoj
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
The Self ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Self Help ◽  
Related Quality ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Use Of Internet

Abstract Background: The Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) has reached pandemic status and is affecting countries all over the world. The COVID-19 pandemic is accompanied by various stressors that require adjustment in everyday life and possibly changes in personal future prospects. While some individuals cope well with these challenges, some develop psychological distress including depressive symptoms, anxiety or stress. Internet-based self-help interventions have proven to be effective in the treatment of various mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. Based on that, we developed an internet-based self-help program for individuals with psychological distress due to the situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. The 3-week self-help program consists of 6 modules comprising texts, videos, figures and exercises. Participants can request guidance within the self-help program (guidance on demand). The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of the self-help program compared to a waiting control condition.Methods: The design is a randomized controlled trial. Participants are allocated to a 3-week self-help intervention plus care as usual or a 3-week waiting period with only care as usual. There are follow-ups after 6 weeks and 18 weeks. At least 80 participants with COVID-19 pandemic related psychological distress will be recruited. Primary outcome are depressive symptoms. Secondary outcomes include anxiety and chronic stress, suicidal experiences and behaviour, health-related quality of life, generalized optimism and pessimism, embitterment, optimistic self-beliefs, emotion regulation skills, loneliness, resilience and the satisfaction with and usability of the self-help program.Discussion: To the best of our knowledge, this is one of the first studies investigating an internet-based self-help program for psychological distress due to the situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, the results of this study may give further insight into the use of internet-based self-help programs in pandemic-related psychological distress.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04380909, Retrospectively registered on 8 May 2020, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04380909

scholarly journals Efficacy of Six-weeks Therapist Guided Online-Therapy Versus Self-Help Internet-based Therapy on COVID-19 Invoked Anxiety and Depression Among Individuals in Oman During COVID-19 pandemic. An Open Label, Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial. (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Al Alawi ◽  
Roopa K McCall ◽  
Alya Sultan ◽  
Naser Al Balushi ◽  
Tamadhir Al-Mahrouqi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Online Therapy ◽  
Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Self Help ◽  
E Mail

BACKGROUND The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has led to a notable increase in psychological distress, globally. Oman is no exception to this, with several studies indicating high levels of anxiety and depression among the Omani public. There is a need for adaptive and effective interventions aiming at improving the increased levels of psychological distress arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. OBJECTIVE This study aimed at assessing the efficacy of therapist guided Online-Therapy versus self-help, e-mail delivered, therapy focusing on COVID-19-induced symptoms of anxiety and depression among individuals living in Oman during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS This was a 6-week pragmatic randomized controlled trial involving 60 participants who were recruited from a study sample surveyed for symptoms of anxiety/depression among the public in Oman amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants in the intervention group were allocated to receive 1 online session per week for 6 weeks from certified psychotherapists in Oman in Arabic or English. The Psychotherapists utilized Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) interventions. The participants in the control group received an automatic weekly newsletter via e-mail containing self-help information and tips to cope with distress associated with COVID-19. The information mainly consisted of behavioral tips revolving around the principles of CBT and ACT. The primary outcome was measured by comparing the change in the mean Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scores from baseline to the end of the study (after six sessions) between the two arms. The secondary outcome was comparing the proportions of participants with depression and anxiety in the two groups. RESULTS Data from 46 participants were analyzed (22 in intervention arm and 24 in control arm). There was no statistical difference in baseline characteristics between both arms. Analysis of covariance indicated a significant reduction in the GAD scores (F(1,43) = 7.307; P = 0.010) between the two arms after adjusting for baseline scores. The intervention arm GAD scores reduced more than those of the control arm (B = -3.27; P = 0.010). The intervention arm had a greater reduction in PHQ-9 mean scores (F(1,43) = 8.298; P = 0.006) when compared to the control arm (B = -4.311; P = 0.006). While the levels of anxiety and depression reduced in both study arms, the reduction was higher in the intervention group (P values of <0.049 and <0.022, respectively). CONCLUSIONS This study provides preliminary evidence to support the efficacy of Online-Therapy for improving the symptoms of anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 crisis in Oman. Therapist guided Online-Therapy was noted to be superior to self-help Internet-based therapy, however, both therapies could be considered as viable options. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04378257

scholarly journals An internet-based self-help intervention for people with psychological distress due to COVID-19: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noemi Anja Brog ◽  
Julia Hegy ◽  
Thomas Berger ◽  
Hansjörg Znoj
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
The Self ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Self Help ◽  
Parallel Group ◽  
Related Quality ◽  
Health Related

Abstract Background: The Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) has reached pandemic status and is affecting countries all over the world. The COVID-19 pandemic is accompanied by various stressors that require adjustment in everyday life and possibly changes in personal future prospects. While some individuals cope well with these challenges, some develop psychological distress including depressive symptoms, anxiety or stress. Internet-based self-help interventions have proven to be effective in the treatment of various mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. Based on that, we developed an internet-based self-help program for individuals with psychological distress due to the situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. The 3-week self-help program consists of 6 modules comprising texts, videos, figures and exercises. Participants can request guidance within the self-help program (guidance on demand). The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of the self-help program compared to a waiting control condition.Methods: The design is a parallel group randomized controlled trial. Participants are allocated to a 3-week self-help intervention plus care as usual or a 3-week waiting period with only care as usual. There are follow-ups after 6 weeks and 18 weeks. At least 80 participants with COVID-19 pandemic related psychological distress will be recruited. Primary outcome are depressive symptoms. Secondary outcomes include anxiety and chronic stress, suicidal experiences and behaviour, health-related quality of life, generalized optimism and pessimism, embitterment, optimistic self-beliefs, emotion regulation skills, loneliness, resilience and the satisfaction with and usability of the self-help program.Discussion: To the best of our knowledge, this is one of the first studies investigating the efficacy of an internet-based self-help program for psychological distress due to the situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, the results of this study may give further insight into the use of internet-based self-help programs in pandemic-related psychological distress.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04380909, Retrospectively registered on 8 May 2020, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04380909

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document