Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 4, 2025
06:52
The use of Biofeedback in Clinical Virtual Reality: The INTREPID Project
Published on: November 12, 2009
15.4K
Video-based cognitive-behavioral intervention for COVID-19 anxiety: a randomized controlled trial
Reza Shabahang1, Mara S Aruguete2, Lynn McCutcheon3
1University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
Trends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
|May 27, 2021
Summary
A video-based cognitive-behavioral intervention effectively reduced anxiety related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in college students. This digital approach proved a feasible and beneficial alternative to traditional therapy during the pandemic.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Public Health
- Digital Health
Background:
- Face-to-face cognitive-behavioral interventions are effective for COVID-19 anxiety.
- Access to traditional therapy is limited by social distancing, quarantine, and expert shortages.
- Video-based interventions offer a potential solution to overcome these barriers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of a video-based cognitive-behavioral intervention for reducing COVID-19 anxiety.
- To assess its feasibility and acceptability as an alternative to in-person therapy.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial with 150 college students experiencing severe COVID-19 anxiety.
- Participants were assigned to a video-based cognitive-behavioral program (n=75) or a wait-list control (n=75).
- The intervention involved nine 15-20 minute sessions over three weeks, with various anxiety and interaction scales administered.
Main Results:
- The intervention group reported high satisfaction, parasocial interaction, and source credibility.
- Eighty percent found the video intervention a beneficial alternative to face-to-face therapy.
- Significant reductions in COVID-19 anxiety, health anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, and somatosensory amplification were observed compared to the control group.
Conclusions:
- Video-based cognitive-behavioral interventions are an affordable, feasible, and effective method for reducing pandemic-related anxiety.
- This approach can help overcome barriers to accessing mental health support during large-scale health crises.
- Digital mental health interventions show promise for widespread public health application.
Related Concept Videos
01:22Behavior Therapy
254
Behavior therapy incorporates diverse techniques rooted in classical conditioning principles to address maladaptive behaviors and anxiety disorders. These methods aim to reduce avoidance behaviors, foster adaptive coping mechanisms, and alter associations between stimuli and responses, making them effective in a wide range of therapeutic contexts.
Exposure therapy is a cornerstone of behavioral treatment for anxiety disorders. It involves systematic exposure to feared stimuli, either in real...
Exposure therapy is a cornerstone of behavioral treatment for anxiety disorders. It involves systematic exposure to feared stimuli, either in real...
254
01:30Generalized Anxiety Disorder
301
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a chronic condition characterized by excessive and uncontrollable worry that persists for at least six months, significantly interfering with daily functioning. Unlike situational anxiety, which arises in response to specific stressors, GAD often occurs without a clear cause. Individuals may experience disproportionate worry about work, health, or relationships. For instance, a person might continuously fear poor health despite normal medical evaluations or...
301
01:18Anxiety: Overview
514
Anxiety is a common mental disorder featuring excessive worry, fear, and apprehension, significantly affecting daily life. People with anxiety disorders experience persistent and intense anxiety, interrupting their everyday functioning.
Individuals with anxiety often experience a range of physical and emotional symptoms, including sweating, trembling, tachycardia, and disturbances in sleep patterns. These symptoms vary in intensity and frequency but are generally disruptive and distressing.
Individuals with anxiety often experience a range of physical and emotional symptoms, including sweating, trembling, tachycardia, and disturbances in sleep patterns. These symptoms vary in intensity and frequency but are generally disruptive and distressing.
514
01:28Social Anxiety Disorder
153
Social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia, is characterized by an intense fear of social situations where one might face humiliation, rejection, embarrassment, or negative evaluation. This disorder leads individuals to avoid activities like casual conversations, public speaking, or seemingly simple tasks such as eating, signing documents, or swimming, in public settings. Its impact extends beyond discomfort, often significantly interfering with daily functioning and quality of life.
153
01:25Cognitive Therapy
571
Cognitive therapy, pioneered by Aaron T. Beck in the 1960s, is a structured approach to addressing psychological distress by focusing on the influence of thoughts on emotions and behaviors. All cognitive therapies involve the basic assumption that human beings have control over their feelings, and that how individuals feel about something depends on how they think about it. Unlike psychoanalytic methods that delve into unconscious processes or humanistic approaches emphasizing...
571
01:24Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy
164
Cognitive-behavioral therapies (CBTs) are grounded in the belief that our thoughts profoundly influence our emotions and actions. Advocates of CBT emphasize three core assumptions: first, that cognitions are identifiable and measurable; second, that they are central to psychological functioning; and third, that irrational or maladaptive beliefs can be replaced with rational and adaptive ones. This transformative approach to therapy has paved the way for specific models such as Albert...
164