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Patient-driven Internet Delivered Psychological Treatment

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Anxiety Disorders and Symptoms
Internet-Based Intervention
Interventions
Behavioral: Standardized iCBT (TAU)
Behavioral: Patient-driven iCBT
Registration Number
NCT04688567
Lead Sponsor
Vastra Gotaland Region
Brief Summary

The effect of iCBT for adults with anxiety disorders is well-known. However, drop-out rates are common. In recent years more focus has been directed to the importance of patients being active agents in their own care and to increase the patient´s involvement in health care. Studies show that involving patients´ in treatment decisions and management of their own health care can contribute to better treatment outcomes and more appropriate use of health care service.

Few studies have evaluated patient involvement in iCBT-treatment. This study aims to evaluate the effect of patient-driven iCBT-treatment for patients with anxiety disorders seeking primary care in a randomized controlled trial. The study investigates the effect of patient-driven iCBT treatment of perceptions of being able to control the treatment and on drop-out from treatment. In addition, secondary research questions investigate measures of empowerment, anxiety and depression symptoms, general disability, satisfaction with treatment and feelings of being able to cope with one's mental illness in patient-driven iCBT.

Detailed Description

The following research questions will be examined:

Primary research questions:

1. Is there a difference between participants in patient-driven digital psychological treatment, compared to standardized internet CBT, in perceptions of how much they've been able to control their treatment (measured with a questionnaire developed by the researchers for this study)?

2. What is the effect of patient-driven digital psychological treatment, compared to standardized internet CBT, on frequency of completers and completed modules among adults with anxiety disorders?

Secondary research questions:

3. What is the effect of patient-driven digital psychological treatment, compared to standardized internet CBT, on the experience of empowerment, (measured by the "Empowerment Scale"), for adults with anxiety disorders?

4. What is the effect of patient-driven digital psychological treatment, compared to standardized internet CBT, on anxiety (measured with GAD-7), depression (measured with MADRS-S), general disability (measured with WHODAS 2.0) and steps in "valued direction" (measured with "Bull´s Eye compass") for adults with anxiety disorders?

Associations:

5. Is there a correlation between perceptions of how much one has been able to control the treatment (measured with a questionnaire developed by the researchers for this study), feelings of being able to cope with one's mental illness (measured with Patient Enablement Instrument), how satisfied participants are with their treatment (measured vid CSQ-8), perceptions of empowerment (measured with the "Empowerment Scale") and changes in anxiety symptoms (measured with GAD-7)?

6. Does perceptions of how much participants have been affected by the pandemic of Covid-19 in their daily life correlate with anxiety symptoms (measured with GAD-7) 3 months after termination of treatment?

Mediation:

7. What is the mediating effect of empowerment, measured by the "Empowerment Scale", on changes in anxiety symptoms (measured with GAD-7)?

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
56
Inclusion Criteria
  • Has reached the age of 18
  • Has access to a computer with internet connection
  • Speak and understand Swedish
  • Meets the diagnostic criteria for an anxiety disorder (social anxiety, GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder), panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder or unspecified anxiety disorder)
Exclusion Criteria
  • has started medication for mental illness or made major changes regarding the medication during the past 4 weeks
  • has serious suicidal thoughts or suicidal plans
  • has complex comorbidity or is in need of other care for mental illness in addition to iCBT
  • is receiving other psychological treatment during the treatment period

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Standardized iCBT (TAU)Standardized iCBT (TAU)Patients who are randomized to the control condition undergo the usual iCBT program available for anxiety disorders for a standardized time period of 8 weeks
Patient-driven iCBTPatient-driven iCBTParticipants who are randomized to the experimental condition are asked to make choices regarding the structure of their treatment program
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Questions of perceptions in how much one has been able to control the treatmentAt the end of treatment (after 8-16 weeks depending on treatment condition)

Perceptions in how much one has been able to control the treatment is measured by a questionnaire developed by the researchers for this study. The questionnaire consists of 9 items and each item is answered on a seven-point scale, from "Not at all" to "To a large extent".

Adherence to treatmentAt the end of treatment (after 8-16 weeks depending on treatment condition)

Adherence to treatment is measured by counting number of completed modules in the treatment program for each participant

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Changes in General disabillityBaseline (Pre-treatment), Middle of treatment, At the end of treatment (after 8-16 weeks depending on treatment condition) and by 3 months follow up

General disability is measured with the 12-item version of the generic assessment tool WHO Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0; Rhem, Ustun, Saxena, Nelson, Chatterji, Ivis \& Adlaf, 1999). Scores range from 12-60, with a higher score indicating higher disability. The instrument has established normative data.

Perceptions of being able to cope with one's mental illnessAt the end of treatment (after 8-16 weeks depending on treatment condition) and by 3 months follow up

Perceptions of being able to cope with one's mental illness is measured with the Patient Enablement Instrument (PEI; Howie, Heaney \& Maxwell, 1997). The instrument consists of 6 items and are graded on a three-point scale. Score ranges between 0-12, with higher score indicating higher patient enablement.

Satisfaction with treatmentAt the end of treatment (after 8-16 weeks depending on treatment condition) and by 3 months follow up

Satisfaction with treatment is measured by The Client Satisfaction Questionnaire- 8 item version (CSQ-8; Attkisson \& Greenfield, 1998). The questionnaire consists of 8 items and are graded on a four-point scale. Scores ranges from 8-32, with higher scores indicating higher satisfaction.

10. Questions about how much one has been affected by the pandemic of Covid-19By 3 months follow up

Perceptions about how much one has been affected by the pandemic of Covid-19 is measured by a questionnaire developed by the researchers for this study. The questionnaire consists of 7 items that is answered on a seven-point scale. 1 indicating= To a very large extent for the worse; 4= not at all / not relevant; 7= to a very large extent for the better.

Changes in Depressive symptomsBaseline (Pre-treatment), middle of treatment, At the end of treatment (after 8-16 weeks depending on the treatment condition) and by 3 months follow up

Symptoms of depression is measured with Madrs-s (Montgomery Åsberg Depression Rating Scale; Montgomery \& Åsberg, 1979). The instrument consists of 9 items. Scores ranges from 0 to 60, with higher scores indicating more depressive symptoms. There are cut-off points for symptom severity.

Changes in feelings of empowermentBaseline (Pre-treatment), Middle of treatment, At the end of treatment (after 8-16 weeks depending on treatment condition) and by 3 months follow up

Empowerment is measured with the Empowerment Scale (Rogers, Chamberlin, Ellison \& Crean, 1997). The scale consists of 28 items which are answered on a four-point likert scale. Score ranges between 28 and 112. Higher scores indicates that the person feels more empowered.

Changes in Anxiety symptomsBaseline (Pre-treatment), Middle of treatment, At the end of treatment (after 8-16 weeks depending on treatment condition) and by 3 months follow up

Anxiety is measured with the GAD-7 instrument (Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 item scale). The scale consists of 7 items. The score ranges from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating more anxiety symptoms. There are thresholds for mild, medium and severe anxiety (Spitzer, Kroenke, Williams \& Löwe 2006).

Changes in steps towards "valued direction"Baseline (Pre-treatment), Middle of treatment, At the end of treatment (after 8-16 weeks depending on treatment condition) and by 3 months follow up

Steps towards "valued direction" is measured with "the Bull´s Eye Values Survey" (Lundgren, Louma, Dahl, Strohsal \& Melin, 2012).

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg

🇸🇪

Gothenburg, Sweden

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