Targeted ACT Compared to Supportive Therapy for Depression RCT

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy; Supportive Therapy

• Registration Number: NCT06900608
• Lead Sponsor: Western Michigan University

Brief Summary

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has demonstrated efficacy in reducing depressive symptoms, primarily compared to no treatment or minimal treatment controls. This study compared the efficacy of ACT targeting cognitive defusion (CD, 3 sessions) and values-based activity scheduling (VBAS, 3 sessions) to supportive therapy (ST). Both treatments offered six sessions, a rationale for the approach, related techniques, and homework assignments. A parallel group randomized controlled efficacy trial design was used. Participants were stratified by gender identification and depression severity and then randomly allocated, according to a predetermined sequence, 2:1 to ACT or ST. Dependent measures were collected during acute treatment (pre, mid, and post-treatment) and follow-up at one-month.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2010-02-01
• Primary Completion: 2011-12-30
• Study Completion: 2011-12-31
• Status Verified: 2025-03
• Study First Submitted: 2025-03-10
• Study First Submitted QC: 2025-03-21
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-03-21
• Study First Posted: 2025-03-28
• Last Update Posted: 2025-03-28

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 52

Inclusion Criteria

• 18 years or older
• Scored one SD below the mean on the RSES and BSI
• Proficiency in English
• If taking medication for psychiatric reasons, stable medication use for at least eight weeks prior to enrollment and agreement to no changes in dosing during study participation.

Exclusion Criteria

• Receiving other forms of psychological treatment
• Meeting PDSQ Interview criteria for psychosis, panic disorder, substance use, or endorsement of significant suicidal ideation

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Demographic Questionnaire	Pre-treatment
Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale	Pre-treatment, 3 weeks, 6 weeks/post-treatment, and 1 month after post-treatment	The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) is a 10-item scale asking participants to rate their level of agreement (on a scale 0-4) with statements describing general feelings about themselves. Higher scores represent a more positive self-evaluation. Scores range from 0 to 40.
Brief Symptom Inventory-Global Severity Index	Pre-treatment, 3 weeks, 6 weeks/post-treatment, and 1 month after post-treatment	The Brief Symptom Inventory-Global Severity Index (BSI) is a 53-item questionnaire that provides an overview of psychological symptoms and their severity. Items are endorsed on a Likert scale (0-not at all to 4-extremely) with higher scores indicating higher rates of general distress. Scores can range from 0 to 212.
Beck Depression Inventory - II (BDI)	Pre-treatment, 3 weeks, 6 weeks/post-treatment, and 1 month after post-treatment	The Beck Depression Inventory - II (BDI) is a 21-item self-report scale assessing the severity of depressive symptoms. Higher scores indicate higher rates of depressive symptoms and intensity, with scores ranging from 0-63.
Psychiatric Diagnostic Screening Questionnaire (PDSQ)	Pre-treatment, 3 weeks, 6 weeks/post-treatment, and 1 month after post-treatment	The Psychiatric Diagnostic Screening Questionnaire (PDSQ) consists of a) 125 item "yes/no" screener used to assess for symptoms of 13 psychopathologies and b) semi-structured interview(s) as indicated by endorsement of scores above the cut-off on any given psychopathology subscale based on the 125-item screener. Participants whose interview for major depressive disorder was positive for 2-4 symptoms were considered to meet criteria for minor depression, while those with 5-9 symptoms were considered to meet criteria for major depressive disorder. Each "yes" indicates one symptom, with a range of 0-9 symptoms within the depressive disorder category.
Valued Living Questionnaire (VLQ)	Pre-treatment, 3 weeks, 6 weeks/post-treatment, and 1 month after post-treatment	The Valued Living Questionnaire (VLQ) is a 20-item self-report measure. Participants' rate, on a scale of 1-10, first the importance of values in 10 domains (e.g., family, work, education, relationships) and then the consistency of action taken towards those values during the last week. When used as an omnibus measure the VLQ is scored by taking the mean of the products of the Importance and Consistency ratings. Higher scores indicate higher consistency or higher importance of each value. Total scores can range from 10-100.
Environmental Reward Observation Scale (EROS)	Pre-treatment, 3 weeks, 6 weeks/post-treatment, and 1 month after post-treatment	The Environmental Reward Observation Scale (EROS) consists of 10 items using a 4-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 4 = strongly agree) assessing whether affect and behavior increases as a result of contact with positively rewarding activities. Higher scores indicate larger increases when in contact with positively rewarding activities. Total scores range from 10-40.
Acceptance and Action Questionnaire - II (AAQ-II)	Pre-treatment, 3 weeks, 6 weeks/post-treatment, and 1 month after post-treatment	The Acceptance and Action Questionnaire - II (AAQ-II) is a 7-item scale measuring experiential avoidance and psychological flexibility. Each item is scored on a 1 (never true) - 7 (always true) scale with higher scores indicate greater inflexibility. Scores range from 7-49.
Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (ATQ)	Pre-treatment, 3 weeks, 6 weeks/post-treatment, and 1 month after post-treatment	The Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (ATQ) contains 30-items measuring the frequency and believability of negative self-statements, with higher scores indicating higher frequency or believability of thoughts. Each item is scored on a 1-5 scale (ranging from "not at all" to "all the time"), with total score ranging from 30-150.