Brief Online Cognitive Behavioural Intervention for Dysfunctional Worry Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Randomised Controlled Trial.
Psychother Psychosom
; 90(3): 191-199, 2021.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-936965
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Worries about the immediate and long-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic may for some individuals develop into pervasive worry that is disproportionate in its intensity or duration and significantly interferes with everyday life.OBJECTIVE:
The aim of this study was to investigate if a brief self-guided, online psychological intervention can reduce the degree of dysfunctional worry related to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated symptoms.METHODS:
670 adults from the Swedish general population reporting daily uncontrollable worry about CO-VID-19 and its possible consequences (e.g., illness, death, the economy, one's family) were randomised (11 ratio) to a 3-week self-guided, online cognitive behavioural intervention targeting dysfunctional COVID-19 worry and associated symptoms, or a waiting list of equal duration. The primary outcome measure was a COVID-19 adapted version of the Generalised Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale administered at baseline and weeks 1-3 (primary endpoint). Follow-up assessments were conducted 1 month after treatment completion. The trial was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04341922) before inclusion of the first participant.RESULTS:
The main pre-specified intention-to-treat analysis indicated significant reductions in COVID-19-related worry for the intervention group compared to the waiting list (ß = 1.14, Z = 9.27, p < 0.001), corresponding to a medium effect size (bootstrapped d = 0.74 [95% CI 0.58-0.90]). Improvements were also seen on all secondary measures, including mood, daily functioning, insomnia, and intolerance of uncertainty. Participant satisfaction was high. No serious adverse events were recorded.CONCLUSIONS:
A brief digital and easily scalable self-guided psychological intervention can significantly reduce dysfunctional worry and associated behavioural symptoms related to the COVID-19 pandemic.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Anxiety
/
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
/
Internet-Based Intervention
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Topics:
Long Covid
Limits:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
/
Young adult
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
English
Journal:
Psychother Psychosom
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
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