Effect of a collaborative care model on anxiety symptoms among patients with depression and diabetes in India: The INDEPENDENT randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE

We assessed the impact of a collaborative care intervention on anxiety symptoms among participants in India with comorbid depression, poorly controlled diabetes, and moderate to severe anxiety symptoms.

METHOD

We analyzed data from a randomized controlled trial conducted at four diabetes clinics in India. Participants received either collaborative care or usual care. We included only participants who scored ⩾10 on the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) at baseline. We estimated the effect of the intervention on clinically significant reduction in anxiety symptoms; we considered several potential baseline moderators and mediation by anti-depressant use.

RESULTS

One hundred and seventy-two participants scored 10 or above on the GAD-7 at baseline. Collaborative care participants were more likely than control participants to achieve a clinically significant reduction in anxiety symptoms at 6 and 12 months (65.7% vs. 41.4% at 12 months, p = 0.002); these differences were not sustained at 18 or 24 months. There was little evidence of moderation by participant characteristics at baseline, and effects were not mediated by anti-depressant use.

CONCLUSIONS

Collaborative care for the treatment of depression and type 2 diabetes can lead to clinically significant reductions in anxiety symptoms among patients with anxiety. Effects were notable during the active intervention period but not over the year post-intervention.