Initial Outcomes of Transdiagnostic Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Tailored for Public Safety Personnel: A Longitudinal Observational Study (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather D. Hadjistavropoulos ◽  
Hugh C. McCall ◽  
David L. Thiessen ◽  
Ziyin Huang ◽  
R. Nicholas Carleton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Working Alliance ◽  
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy ◽  
Treatment Satisfaction ◽  
Public Safety ◽  
Behavioural Therapy ◽  
Ptsd Symptoms ◽  
Public Safety Personnel ◽  
Cognitive Behavioural ◽  
Safety Personnel

BACKGROUND Canadian public safety personnel (PSP) experience high rates of mental health disorders and face many barriers to treatment. Internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy (ICBT) overcomes many such barriers and is effective for treating depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. OBJECTIVE The current study was designed to fill a gap in the literature regarding the use of ICBT tailored specifically for PSP. We examined the effectiveness of a tailored ICBT program for treating depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms among PSP in the province of Saskatchewan. METHODS We employed a longitudinal single-group open trial design (n = 83) with outcome measures administered at screening and eight weeks. Data was collected between December 5, 2019 and September 11, 2020. Primary outcomes included changes in depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms. Secondary outcomes included changes in functional impairment and symptoms of panic, social anxiety, and anger, as well as treatment satisfaction, working alliance, and program usage patterns. RESULTS Clients reported large symptom reductions on measures of depression and anxiety, as well as moderate reductions on measures of PTSD and secondary symptoms, except for social anxiety. Most clients who reported symptoms above clinical cut-offs on measures of depression, anxiety, and PTSD during screening experienced clinically significant symptom reductions. Results suggested good engagement, treatment satisfaction, and working alliance. CONCLUSIONS Tailored, transdiagnostic ICBT demonstrated promising outcomes as a treatment for depression, anxiety, and PTSD among Saskatchewan PSP and warrants further investigation. CLINICALTRIAL clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04127032).

scholarly journals Why Do Public Safety Personnel Seek Tailored Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavioural Therapy? An Observational Study of Treatment-Seekers

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (22) ◽  
pp. 11972
Author(s):  
Hugh C. McCall ◽  
Caeleigh A. Landry ◽  
Adeyemi Ogunade ◽  
R. Nicholas Carleton ◽  
Heather D. Hadjistavropoulos
Keyword(s):  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy ◽  
Public Safety ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Behavioural Therapy ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Public Safety Personnel ◽  
Cognitive Behavioural ◽  
Safety Personnel

First responders and other public safety personnel (PSP) experience elevated rates of mental disorders and face unique barriers to care. Internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy (ICBT) is an effective and accessible treatment that has demonstrated good treatment outcomes when tailored specifically for PSP. However, little is known about how PSP come to seek ICBT. A deeper understanding of why PSP seek ICBT can inform efforts to tailor and disseminate ICBT and other treatments to PSP. The present study was designed to (1) explore the demographic and clinical characteristics, motivations, and past treatments of PSP seeking ICBT, (2) learn how PSP first learned about ICBT, and (3) understand how PSP perceive ICBT. To address these objectives, we examined responses to online screening questionnaires among PSP (N = 259) who signed up for an ICBT program tailored for PSP. The results indicate that most of our sample experienced clinically significant symptoms of multiple mental disorders, had received prior mental disorder diagnoses and treatments, heard about ICBT from a work-related source, reported positive perceptions of ICBT, and sought ICBT to learn skills to manage their own symptoms of mental disorders. The insights gleaned through this study have important implications for ICBT researchers and others involved in the development, delivery, evaluation, and funding of mental healthcare services for PSP.

scholarly journals Delivering an online cognitive behavioural therapy program to address mental health challenges faced by correctional workers and other public safety personnel: Protocol (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nazanin Alavi ◽  
Callum Stephenson ◽  
Mohsen Omrani ◽  
Cory Gerritsen ◽  
Michael S Martin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Public Safety ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Behavioural Therapy ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Participant Recruitment ◽  
Public Safety Personnel ◽  
Cognitive Behavioural ◽  
Safety Personnel

BACKGROUND Public safety personnel have regular and often intense exposure to potentially traumatic events at work, especially workplace violence in the case of correctional workers. Subsequently, correctional workers are at higher risk for developing mental health problems such as posttraumatic stress disorder. Public safety personnel are up to 4 times more likely to experience suicidal ideation, attempts, and death by suicide compared to the general population. Despite this high prevalence, help-seeking behaviours from public safety personnel are low due to stigma and irregular work hours limiting access to care. Innovative treatments are needed to address these challenges. OBJECTIVE This study will investigate the efficacy of an electronically delivered cognitive behavioural therapy (e-CBT) program tailored to correctional workers’ mental health problems. METHODS This study is composed of 4 phases. Phase 1 will interview correctional workers individually and in focus groups to identify personal, social, and cultural factors affecting their mental health and barriers to care. Phase 2 will use the information gathered from the interviews to develop gender and diagnosis-specific e-CBT modules. These will be presented to a new group of participants who will provide further feedback on their usability and accessibility. Phase 3 will randomly assign participants to either an e-CBT or treatment as usual arm. The program will be evaluated with validated symptomatology questionnaires and interviews. Phase 4 will use this additional information to fine-tune the e-CBT modules for a larger-scale randomized controlled trial design comparing the e-CBT program to in-person CBT. All e-CBT modules will be delivered through a secure online platform. RESULTS The study received ethics approval in December 2020 and participant recruitment began in March 2021. Participant recruitment has been conducted through targeted advertisements and physician referrals. To date, there have been 15 participants recruited for Phase 1 and it is expected to conclude in July 2021 with phase 2 beginning in September 2021. Complete data collection and analysis from all phases is expected to conclude by July 2023. Linear and binomial regression (continuous and categorical outcomes respectively) will be conducted along with interpretive qualitative methods. CONCLUSIONS If proven efficacious and feasible, this e-CBT program can provide a high-quality and clinically validated resource to address the mental health problems of correctional workers. Additionally, findings can contribute to the development of innovative treatments for other public safety professions. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04666974; clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04666974

scholarly journals Performance anxiety disorder: Developing a proposal for an inventory, according to the cognitive-behavioural therapy rationale

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 236-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Varvatsoulias
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy ◽  
Social Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Performance Anxiety ◽  
Behavioural Therapy ◽  
External Shame ◽  
Cognitive Behavioural ◽  
The Future

This editorial aims at the presentation of a proposal regarding an inventory about performance anxiety disorder in a cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) framework. It provides some initial understanding as to that condition and how CBT could assist in the consideration of it counter to social anxiety disorder. At first, there is an introduction to performance anxiety in line to social anxiety/phobia and some questionnaires that have been developed which include performance anxiety as an element of social anxiety/phobia. Then, I am presenting the proposal, both in view to the rationale for that and the construction of an inventory with items drawn from elements that performance anxiety is related with, such as uneasiness about worry, self-focus issues of perfectionism and internal/external shame ideas. The statements in the inventory refer to hypothetical examples in life so inventory to be easily responded to, when administered to participants. This proposal closes with the conclusion that the questionnaire will be pilot-studied in the future by the author so the feasibility of it and/or possible changes to be considered when empirically studied.

Targeting fear of positive evaluation in patients with social anxiety disorder via a brief cognitive behavioural therapy protocol: a proof-of-principle study

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (6) ◽  
pp. 745-750
Author(s):  
Justin W. Weeks ◽  
M. Taylor Wilmer ◽  
Carrie M. Potter ◽  
Elizabeth M. Waldron ◽  
Mark Versella ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy ◽  
Social Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Behavioural Therapy ◽  
Cognitive Behavioural ◽  
Proof Of Principle ◽  
Fear Of Positive Evaluation ◽  
Positive Evaluation

AbstractBackground:Our aim was to develop a brief cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) protocol to augment treatment for social anxiety disorder (SAD). This protocol focused specifically upon fear of positive evaluation (FPE). To our knowledge, this is the first protocol that has been designed to systematically target FPE.Aims:To test the feasibility of a brief (two-session) CBT protocol for FPE and report proof-of-principle data in the form of effect sizes.Method:Seven patients with a principal diagnosis of SAD were recruited to participate. Following a pre-treatment assessment, patients were randomized to either (a) an immediate CBT condition (n = 3), or (b) a comparable wait-list (WL) period (2 weeks; n = 4). Two WL patients also completed the CBT protocol following the WL period (delayed CBT condition). Patients completed follow-up assessments 1 week after completing the protocol.Results:A total of five patients completed the brief, FPE-specific CBT protocol (two of the seven patients were wait-listed only and did not complete delayed CBT). All five patients completed the protocol and provided 1-week follow-up data. CBT patients demonstrated large reductions in FPE-related concerns as well as overall social anxiety symptoms, whereas WL patients demonstrated an increase in FPE-related concerns.Conclusions:Our brief FPE-specific CBT protocol is feasible to use and was associated with large FPE-specific and social anxiety symptom reductions. To our knowledge, this is the first treatment report that has focused on systematic treatment of FPE in patients with SAD. Our protocol warrants further controlled evaluation.

scholarly journals Therapist-guided internet-delivered cognitive–behavioural therapy supplemented with group exposure sessions for adolescents with social anxiety disorder: a feasibility trial

BMJ Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. e018345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina Nordh ◽  
Sarah Vigerland ◽  
Lars-Göran Öst ◽  
Brjánn Ljótsson ◽  
David Mataix-Cols ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy ◽  
Social Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Behavioural Therapy ◽  
Post Treatment ◽  
Feasibility Trial ◽  
Cognitive Behavioural ◽  
Exposure Sessions

ObjectivesSocial anxiety disorder (SAD) is one of the most common psychiatric disorders in youth, with a prevalence of about 3%–4% and increased risk of adverse long-term outcomes, such as depression. Cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) is considered the first-line treatment for youth with SAD, but many adolescents remain untreated due to limited accessibility to CBT. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a therapist-guided internet-delivered CBT treatment, supplemented with clinic-based group exposure sessions (BIP SOFT).DesignA proof-of-concept, open clinical trial with 6-month follow-up.ParticipantsThe trial was conducted at a child and adolescent psychiatric research clinic, and participants (n=30) were 13–17 years old (83% girls) with a principal diagnosis of SAD.Intervention12 weeks of intervention, consisting of nine remote therapist-guided internet-delivered CBT sessions and three group exposure sessions at the clinic for the adolescents and five internet-delivered sessions for the parents.ResultsAdolescents were generally satisfied with the treatment, and the completion rate of internet modules, as well as attendance at group sessions, was high. Post-treatment assessment showed a significant decrease in clinician-rated, adolescent-rated and parent-rated social anxiety (d=1.17, 0.85 and 0.79, respectively), as well as in general self-rated and parent-rated anxiety and depression (d=0.76 and 0.51), compared with pretreatment levels. Furthermore, 47% of participants no longer met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) criteria for SAD at post-treatment. At a 6-month follow-up, symptom reductions were maintained, or further improved, and 57% of participants no longer met criteria for SAD.ConclusionTherapist-guided and parent-guided internet-delivered CBT, supplemented with a limited number of group exposure sessions, is a feasible and promising intervention for adolescents with SAD.Trial registration numberNCT02576171; Results.

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