Discipline of Psychology, School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, Australia.
Discipline of Psychology, School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, Australia; Centre for Clinical Interventions, Perth, Australia.
Behav Res Ther. 2021 Sep;144:103902. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2021.103902. Epub 2021 Jun 13.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a severe impact on mental health worldwide, with increased rates of anxiety and depression widely documented. The aim of this study was to examine unguided low intensity cognitive behaviour therapy for anxiety and depression during the pandemic. A sample of 225 individuals in Australia and the United Kingdom (M age 37.79, SD = 14.02, range 18-80 years; 85% female) were randomised into intervention or waitlist control. The intervention group demonstrated significant decreases in anxiety (d = 0.36 [0.18, 0.54]) and depression (d = 0.28 [0.11, 0.45]) compared to controls. The majority of participants (96%) rated the intervention as useful, and most (83%) reported they spent 30 min or less reading the guide, with 83% agreeing the intervention was easy to read. The results indicate that low intensity cognitive behaviour therapy has efficacy in reducing anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is an urgent need to disseminate low intensity psychological therapies to improve mental health in this challenging time.
COVID-19 大流行对全球心理健康造成了严重影响,广泛记录了焦虑和抑郁的发生率增加。本研究旨在探讨大流行期间针对焦虑和抑郁的无指导低强度认知行为疗法。澳大利亚和英国的 225 名个体(M 年龄 37.79,SD=14.02,范围 18-80 岁;85%为女性)被随机分配到干预组或等待名单对照组。与对照组相比,干预组的焦虑(d=0.36 [0.18, 0.54])和抑郁(d=0.28 [0.11, 0.45])显著降低。大多数参与者(96%)认为干预措施有用,大多数(83%)报告说他们花了 30 分钟或更短的时间阅读指南,83%的人同意干预措施易于阅读。结果表明,低强度认知行为疗法在 COVID-19 大流行期间具有减轻焦虑和抑郁的功效。在这个充满挑战的时期,迫切需要传播低强度心理疗法以改善心理健康。