Long-Term Effects of Telephone-Delivered Psychotherapy for Late-Life GAD

To examine the long-term effects of telephone-delivered cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT-T) compared with nondirective supportive therapy (NST-T) in rural older adults with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

141 adults aged 60 years and older with a principal/co-principal diagnosis of GAD were randomized to either CBT-T or NST-T. CBT-T consisted of up to 11 sessions (9 were required) focused on recognition of anxiety symptoms, relaxation, cognitive restructuring and use of coping statements, problem-solving, worry control, behavioral activation, exposure therapy, and relapse prevention, with optional chapters on sleep and pain. NST-T consisted of 10 sessions focused on providing a supportive atmosphere in which participants could share and discuss their feelings and did not provide any direct suggestions. Primary outcomes included interviewer-rated anxiety severity and self-report worry severity measured at 9 months and 15 months after randomization. Mood-specific secondary outcomes included self-report GAD symptoms and depressive symptoms.

At 15 months, after adjustment for multiple testing, there was a significantly greater decline in general anxiety symptoms (difference in improvement: 3.31; 95% CI: 0.45-6.17; t = 2.29; df = 136; p = 0.024) and worry (difference in improvement: 3.13; 95% CI: 0.59-5.68; t = 2.43; df = 136; p = 0.016) among participants in CBT-T compared with those in the NST-T group. There were no significant differences between the conditions in terms of depressive symptoms (difference in improvement: 2.88; 95% CI: 0.17-5.60; t = 2.10; df = 136; p = 0.0376) and GAD symptoms (difference in improvement: 1.65; 95% CI: -0.20 to 3.50; t = 1.76; df = 136; p = 0.080).

CBT-T is superior to NST-T in reducing worry and anxiety symptoms 1 year after completing treatment.