Telehealth Group-based Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy for Patients With Persistent Physical Symptoms: A Pilot Study
- Conditions
- Somatic Symptom and Related DisordersSomatic Symptom DisorderFunctional Somatic DisorderFunctional Somatic Syndrome
- Interventions
- Behavioral: Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy
- Registration Number
- NCT06631963
- Lead Sponsor
- Daniel Maroti
- Brief Summary
Delivering Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET) through digital or telehealth platforms in a group format offers several key advantages. First, it significantly improves access to care, allowing individuals with persistent physical symptoms (PPS) to receive effective, emotion-focused therapy regardless of their geographic location. Telehealth can also benefit those who face mobility issues or have limited access to specialized care in rural or underserved areas.
Group-based telehealth EAET promotes social connection among participants, fostering a supportive environment where individuals can share experiences, which may enhance therapeutic outcomes. Additionally, the convenience of remote therapy can reduce barriers to participation, such as time constraints and travel costs, making it easier for patients to commit to treatment.
Finally, the digital format allows for flexible, scalable interventions that can be easily integrated into routine psychiatric care, potentially increasing treatment uptake for individuals who might otherwise avoid in-person therapy due to stigma or logistical challenges.
- Detailed Description
Not available
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- NOT_YET_RECRUITING
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 50
- The participant certifies that he or she has undergone a medical evaluation for their physical symptoms (see separate certificate).
- The participant rates either moderate distress from physical symptoms on the PHQ-15 form (over 10 points) or significant distress from a single physical symptom (at least 2 points for that symptom).
- The participant expresses interest in exploring whether emotional factors, such as stress, may contribute to their symptom profile.
- Any prescribed medications must have been stable for at least 1 month.
- Participants suffer from ongoing substance abuse (alcohol or drugs) or are assessed to have severe mental health issues (psychotic disorders, moderate to high suicide risk, antisocial personality disorder, etc.).
- Participants are currently prescribed medications that are clearly addictive and sedative in nature (e.g., benzodiazepines).
- Participants are involved in other psychological treatments focused on physical symptoms. However, other psychological treatments are allowed as long as the supportive therapy does not occur more than once a month.
- Participants do not have sufficient proficiency in the Swedish language.
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- SINGLE_GROUP
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description Group EAET delivered through telehealth Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy Group-based Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET) delivered through telehealth is a form of psychotherapy that helps individuals recognize and express emotions that may be contributing to physical symptoms. It is conducted in a group setting, allowing participants to share their experiences and support each other. Through a virtual platform, patients engage in structured sessions led by a therapist, where they explore emotional connections to their symptoms, practice emotional expression, and develop healthier coping mechanisms. The telehealth format enables access to therapy from remote locations, enhancing convenience and flexibility while maintaining the benefits of group interaction.
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Patient Health Questionaire-15 (PHQ-15) Change from pre to post treatment (i.e pre-treatment ca. 1 week before treatment. Post-treatment ca 1 week after treatment ends at 12 weeks.) Somatic symptom severity during the "last week" was assessed with the PHQ-15. Items were rated 0 ("Not bothered at all"), 1 ("Bothered a little"), or 2 ("Bothered a lot"); total scores range from 0 to 30 for women and 0-27 for men.
Visual Analoge Scales Change from pre to post treatment (i.e pre-treatment ca. 1 week before treatment. Post-treatment ca 1 week after treatment ends at 12 weeks.) Visual Analoge Scales suggested by the EURONET-SOMA network (Rief et al., 2017). Somatic symptom intensity was measured from 1 ("No symptom") to 10 ("Symptom as bad as you can imagine") and somatic symptom interference from 1 ("No interference") to 10 ("Maximum interference").
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Patient Health Questionaire-9 (PHQ-9) Change from pre to post treatment (i.e pre-treatment ca. 1 week before treatment. Post-treatment ca 1 week after treatment ends at 12 weeks.) PHQ-9 consists of nine questions withs ratings 0-3 (0= "not at all", 3= "almost every day") on impact of depressive symptoms. Higher scores indicate worse symptom/functioning with a maximum score of 27.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7) Change from pre to post treatment (i.e pre-treatment ca. 1 week before treatment. Post-treatment ca 1 week after treatment ends at 12 weeks.) GAD-7 consists of seven questions with ratings 0-3 (0= "not at all", 3= "almost every day") on impact of anxiety symptoms. Higher scores indicate worse symptom/functioning functioning with a maximum score of 21.
Post traumatic symptom Check List-5 (PCL-5) Change from pre to post treatment (i.e pre-treatment ca. 1 week before treatment. Post-treatment ca 1 week after treatment ends at 12 weeks.) PCL-5 consists of 20 questions with ratings 0-4 on impact of post traumatic symptoms. Higher scores indicate worse symptom/functioning with a maximum score of 80.
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
Stockholm University
🇸🇪Stockholm, Sweden