Judy Zou

Improving Adherence and Clinical Outcomes in Self-Guided Internet Treatment for Anxiety and Depression: Randomised Controlled Trial

Background Depression and anxiety are common, disabling and chronic. Self-guided internet-delivered treatments are popular, but few people complete them. New strategies are required to realise their potential. Aims To evaluate the effect of automated emails on the effectiveness, safety, and acceptability of a new automated transdiagnostic self-guided internet-delivered treatment, the Wellbeing Course, for people with depression and anxiety. Method A randomised controlled trial was conducted through the website: www.ecentreclinic.org. Two hundred and fifty seven people with elevated symptoms were randomly allocated to the 8 week course either with or without automated emails, or to a waitlist control group. Primary outcome measures were the Patient Health Questionnaire 9-Item (PHQ-9) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item (GAD-7). Results Participants in the treatment groups had lower PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores at post-treatment than controls. Automated emails increased rates of course completion (58% vs. 35%), and improved outcomes in a subsample with elevated symptoms. Conclusions The new self-guided course was beneficial, and automated emails facilitated outcomes. Further attention to strategies that facilitate adherence, learning, and safety will help realise the potential of self-guided interventions. Trial Registration Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12610001058066

Randomized controlled trial of Internet‐delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe and disabling condition and few receive appropriate care. Internet‐based treatment of PTSD shows promise in reducing barriers to care and preliminary evidence suggests it is efficacious in treating symptoms of PTSD. Methodology: Forty‐two individuals with a diagnosis of PTSD confirmed by clinician interview completed a randomized controlled comparison of Internet‐based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with a waitlist control condition. Principle Findings: Large pre‐ to posttreatment effect sizes (ESs) were found for the Treatment group on measures of PTSD symptoms, depression, anxiety, and disability. A small between‐group ES was found for PTSD symptoms and moderate between‐group ESs were found for depression, anxiety, and disability. Conclusions: Results provide preliminary support for Internet‐based CBT as an efficacious treatment for individuals with a confirmed primary diagnosis of PTSD. Depression and Anxiety, 2011.

Clinical and Cost-Effectiveness of Therapist-Guided Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Older Adults With Symptoms of Anxiety: A Randomized Controlled Trial

UNLABELLED There is preliminary support for internet-delivered cognitive behaviour therapy (iCBT) as a way of improving access to treatment among older adults with anxiety. The aim of this randomized controlled trial (RCT) was to examine the efficacy, long-term outcomes, and cost-effectiveness of an iCBT program for adults over 60 years of age with anxiety. Successful applicants were randomly allocated to either the treatment group (n=35) or the waitlist control group (n=37). The online treatment course was delivered over 8 weeks and provided with brief weekly contact with a clinical psychologist via telephone or secure email. Eighty-four percent of participants completed the iCBT course within the 8 weeks and 90% provided data at posttreatment. Significantly lower scores on measures of anxiety (Cohens d=1.43; 95% CI: 0.89 - 1.93) and depression (Cohens d=1.79; 95% CI: 1.21 - 2.32) were found among the treatment group compared to the control group at posttreatment. These lower scores were maintained at 3-month and 12-month follow-up and the treatment group rated the iCBT treatment as acceptable. The treatment group had slightly higher costs (

Culturally attuned Internet treatment for depression amongst Chinese Australians: a randomised controlled trial.

92.2; 95% CI:

Transdiagnostic versus disorder-specific and clinician-guided versus self-guided internet-delivered treatment for generalized anxiety disorder and comorbid disorders: A randomized controlled trial

38.7 to

Characteristics and Treatment Preferences of People with Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: An Internet Survey

149.2) and Quality-Adjusted Life-Years (QALYs=0.010; 95% CI: 0.003 to 0.018) than the control group at posttreatment and the intervention was found to have a greater than 95% probability of being cost-effective. The results support iCBT as an efficacious and cost-effective treatment option for older adults with symptoms of anxiety. TRIAL REGISTRATION TRIAL REGISTRATION Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12611000929909; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?ACTRN=12611000929909.

Brief internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety in older adults : a feasibility trial

INTRODUCTION Although depression can be treated effectively with Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), only a small percentage of Chinese Australians access evidence-based treatment due to practical and cultural barriers. The present study examined the efficacy and acceptability of an Internet delivered CBT (iCBT) program to treat Chinese Australians with depression. METHODS The Chinese depression iCBT program (the Brighten Your Mood Program) is a culturally adapted version of the clinically efficacious Sadness iCBT Program. Fifty-five Chinese Australians with depression were randomly allocated to either an immediate treatment group or to a waitlist control group. Treatment consisted of an 8 week program with 6 CBT online educational lessons, homework assignments, additional resources presented in Chinese and English, and weekly telephone support with Mandarin/Cantonese-speaking support personnel. An intention-to-treat model was used for data analyses. RESULTS Seventeen of twenty-five (68%) treatment group participants completed all lessons within the timeframe. Compared to controls, treatment group participants reported significantly reduced symptoms of depression on the Chinese versions of the Beck Depression Inventory (CBDI) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 item (CB-PHQ-9). The within- and between-group effect sizes (Cohens d) were 1.41 and 0.93 on the CBDI, and 0.90 and 0.50 on the CB-PHQ-9, respectively. Participants rated the procedure as acceptable, and gains were sustained at three-month follow-up. LIMITATIONS The study included several subclinical participants and some measures that have not been previously validated with Chinese Australians. CONCLUSIONS Results provide preliminary support for the efficacy and acceptability of an iCBT program at reducing symptoms of depression in Chinese Australians.

Internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy for depression: A feasibility open trial for older adults

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) can be treated effectively with either disorder-specific cognitive behavior therapy (DS-CBT) or transdiagnostic CBT (TD-CBT). The relative benefits of DS-CBT and TD-CBT for GAD and the relative benefits of delivering treatment in clinician guided (CG-CBT) and self-guided (SG-CBT) formats have not been examined. Participants with GAD (n=338) were randomly allocated to receive an internet-delivered TD-CBT or DS-CBT intervention delivered in either CG-CBT or SG-CBT formats. Large reductions in symptoms of GAD (Cohens d ≥ 1.48; avg. reduction ≥ 50%) and comorbid major depressive disorder (Cohens d ≥ 1.64; avg. reduction ≥ 45%), social anxiety disorder (Cohens d ≥ 0.80; avg. reduction ≥ 29%) and panic disorder (Cohens d ≥ 0.55; avg. reduction ≥ 33%) were found across the conditions. No substantive differences were observed between DS-CBT and TD-CBT or CG-CBT and SG-CBT, highlighting the public health potential of carefully developed TD-CBT and SG-CBT.

Internet-delivered eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (iEMDR): an open trial

Background Although Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a severe and disabling anxiety disorder, relatively few people with this condition access evidence-based care. Barriers to treatment are multiple and complex, but the emerging field of Internet therapy for PTSD may improve access to evidence-based treatment. However, little is known about the characteristics of people with PTSD who seek online treatment, or whether they perceive internet treatment as an acceptable treatment option. Methodology An online survey was used to collect information about the demographic and symptom characteristics of individuals with elevated levels of PTSD symptoms, and this was compared to data from corresponding sample from a national survey. Previous treatment experiences, perceived barriers to treatment and treatment preferences for Internet therapy and face-to-face treatment were also compared. Principal Findings High levels of PTSD symptoms were reported by survey respondents. Psychological distress and disability was greater than reported by individuals with PTSD from a national survey. Half of the sample reported not having received treatment for PTSD; however, 88% of those who reported receiving treatment stated they received an evidence-based treatment. Primary barriers to treatment included cost, poor awareness of service availability, lack of prior treatment response and not perceiving personal distress as severe enough to warrant treatment. Most survey respondents indicated they were willing to try Internet treatment for PTSD. Conclusions The Internet sample was symptomatically severe and multiple barriers existed to treatment. Internet therapy is an acceptable option for the treatment of PTSD in an internet sample.

The effect of attentional focus on social anxiety.

This study examined the efficacy of an Internet-delivered cognitive-behavior therapy program developed for older adults. Twenty-two participants with elevated scores (≥8) on the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item Scale (GAD-7) participated in the course, which consisted of five lessons, homework tasks, additional resources, a moderated discussion forum, and weekly telephone support from a Clinical Psychologist. Ninety-five percent of the sample met diagnostic criteria for an anxiety disorder at pre-treatment. All participants completed the five lessons within the allotted eight weeks. Three-month follow-up data was collected from 95% of participants. Reductions in symptoms of anxiety and stress, with large within-group effect sizes (Cohens d) were found on the GAD-7 (d=1.03) and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales - 21 Items (d=0.98) at follow-up. Participants reported high levels of satisfaction with the program. These encouraging results provide tentative support for the online treatment of older adults with anxiety.