Rumination-focused cognitive behaviour therapy vs. cognitive behaviour therapy for depression: study protocol for a...

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Standard cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is effective for depression, but many patients do not respond fully or experience relapse.
• Residual symptoms, particularly rumination (repetitive negative thinking), are common and predict future depression.
• Rumination-focused CBT (RF-CBT) specifically targets this cognitive process.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of group-based RF-CBT versus group-based CBT for treating depression.
• To evaluate RF-CBT's potential to reduce residual symptoms and prevent relapse.

Main Methods:

• A two-arm pragmatic randomised controlled superiority trial involving 128 patients with depression.
• Participants received either group-based RF-CBT or group-based CBT in an outpatient psychiatric setting.
• Primary outcome: depressive symptom severity (Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression) at treatment completion. Secondary outcomes included rumination, anxiety, and quality of life, with a 6-month follow-up for relapse assessment.

Main Results:

• Primary outcome data on depressive symptom severity at treatment completion is pending.
• Secondary outcome data on rumination, anxiety, quality of life, and cognitive measures are pending.
• Relapse rates at 6-month follow-up are pending.

Conclusions:

• The trial's findings will inform clinical decisions regarding the integration of RF-CBT into routine depression treatment.
• This research may offer a more effective approach for patients with residual depressive symptoms and a high risk of relapse.