Moghimi Elnaz, Stephenson Callum, Agarwal Anika, Nikjoo Niloofar, Malakouti Niloufar, Layzell Gina, O'Riordan Anne, Jagayat Jasleen, Shirazi Amirhossein, Gutierrez Gilmar, Khan Ferwa, Patel Charmy, Yang Megan, Omrani Mohsen, Alavi Nazanin
Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
JMIR Ment Health. 2023 Dec 25;10:e51102. doi: 10.2196/51102.
Lockdowns and social distancing resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic have worsened the population's mental health and made it more difficult for individuals to receive care. Electronic cognitive behavioral therapy (e-CBT) is a cost-effective and evidence-based treatment for anxiety and depression and can be accessed remotely.
The objective of the study was to investigate the efficacy of online psychotherapy tailored to depression and anxiety symptoms during the pandemic.
The pilot study used a pre-post design to evaluate the efficacy of a 9-week e-CBT program designed for individuals with depression and anxiety affected by the pandemic. Participants were adults (N=59) diagnosed with major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder, whose mental health symptoms initiated or worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. The online psychotherapy program focused on teaching coping, mindfulness, and problem-solving skills. Symptoms of anxiety and depression, resilience, and quality of life were assessed.
Participants demonstrated significant improvements in symptoms of anxiety (P=.02) and depression (P=.03) after the intervention. Similar trends were observed in the intention-to-treat analysis. No significant differences were observed in resilience and quality-of-life measures. The sample comprised mostly females, making it challenging to discern the benefits of the intervention in males. Although a pre-post design is less rigorous than a controlled trial, this design was selected to observe changes in scores during a critical period.
e-CBT for COVID-19 is an effective and accessible treatment option. Improvements in clinical symptoms of anxiety and depression can be observed in individuals whose mental health is affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04476667; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04476667.
INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): RR2-10.2196/24913.
2019年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行导致的封锁和社交距离措施加剧了民众的心理健康问题，使个人获得护理变得更加困难。电子认知行为疗法（e-CBT）是一种针对焦虑和抑郁的具有成本效益且基于证据的治疗方法，可远程获取。
本研究的目的是调查在大流行期间针对抑郁和焦虑症状量身定制的在线心理治疗的疗效。
该试点研究采用前后对照设计，以评估为受大流行影响的抑郁和焦虑个体设计的为期9周的e-CBT项目的疗效。参与者为被诊断患有重度抑郁症和广泛性焦虑症的成年人（N = 59），其心理健康症状在COVID-19大流行期间开始出现或恶化。在线心理治疗项目侧重于教授应对、正念和解决问题的技能。评估了焦虑和抑郁症状、心理韧性和生活质量。
干预后，参与者的焦虑症状（P = 0.02）和抑郁症状（P = 0.03）有显著改善。在意向性分析中也观察到了类似趋势。在心理韧性和生活质量指标方面未观察到显著差异。样本主要为女性，因此难以辨别该干预措施对男性的益处。尽管前后对照设计不如对照试验严格，但选择该设计是为了观察关键时期分数的变化。
针对COVID-19的e-CBT是一种有效且可及的治疗选择。心理健康受COVID-19大流行影响的个体的焦虑和抑郁临床症状可得到改善。
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04476667；https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04476667。
国际注册报告识别码（IRRID）：RR2-10.2196/24913。
