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Improving adherence and clinical outcomes in self-guided internet treatment for anxiety and depression: randomised
Nickolai Titov1, Blake F Dear, Luke Johnston
1Centre for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. nick.titov@mq.edu.au
Background:
Depression and anxiety are common, disabling and chronic. Self-guided internet-delivered treatments are popular, but few people complete them. New strategies are required to realise their potential.
Aims:
To evaluate the effect of automated emails on the effectiveness, safety, and acceptability of a new automated transdiagnostic self-guided internet-delivered treatment, the Wellbeing Course, for people with depression and anxiety.
Method:
A randomised controlled trial was conducted through the website: www.ecentreclinic.org. Two hundred and fifty seven people with elevated symptoms were randomly allocated to the 8 week course either with or without automated emails, or to a waitlist control group. Primary outcome measures were the Patient Health Questionnaire 9-Item (PHQ-9) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item (GAD-7).
Results:
Participants in the treatment groups had lower PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores at post-treatment than controls. Automated emails increased rates of course completion (58% vs. 35%), and improved outcomes in a subsample with elevated symptoms.
Conclusions:
The new self-guided course was beneficial, and automated emails facilitated outcomes. Further attention to strategies that facilitate adherence, learning, and safety will help realise the potential of self-guided interventions.
Trial Registration:
Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12610001058066.
