Guided internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder: A multicenter randomized
Kazuki Matsumoto1,2, Sayo Hamatani1,3, Takuya Makino3
1Research Center for Child Mental Development, Chiba University, Chiba 260-8588, Japan.
Internet Interventions
|March 4, 2022
Summary
Guided internet-based cognitive behavior therapy (ICBT) is more effective for treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) than treatment as usual (TAU). This clinical trial demonstrated significant superiority of ICBT in reducing OCD symptoms.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
- Digital Health
Background:
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a debilitating mental health condition.
- Few studies have directly compared internet-based cognitive behavior therapy (ICBT) with treatment as usual (TAU) for OCD.
- There is a need to evaluate the efficacy of guided ICBT in diverse clinical settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effectiveness of guided ICBT for patients diagnosed with OCD.
- To compare guided ICBT against TAU in a randomized controlled trial.
- To assess the impact of guided ICBT on OCD symptom severity.
Main Methods:
- A prospective, randomized, controlled, assessor-blinded, multicenter clinical trial.
- Thirty-one patients with OCD were recruited from three Japanese facilities.
- Participants were randomly assigned to either guided ICBT or TAU, with blinded assessment of the primary outcome.
Main Results:
- Guided ICBT demonstrated statistically significant superiority over TAU (p < 0.01).
- A large effect size (Cohen's d = 1.05) indicated a substantial difference between groups.
- The Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale scores were significantly lower in the ICBT group.
Conclusions:
- Guided internet-based cognitive behavior therapy is a more effective treatment for OCD than treatment as usual.
- The findings support the integration of guided ICBT into standard care for OCD.
- This study provides robust evidence for the efficacy of digital mental health interventions in OCD treatment.
Keywords:
Cost-effectivenessERP, Exposure and Response PreventionICBT, internet-based cognitive behavioral therapyInternet-based cognitive behavior therapyJART, Japanese adult rating testOCI, obsessive compulsive inventoryObsessive-compulsive disroderPRT, progressive relaxation therapyRandomized controlled trialTAU, treatment as usualTreatment as usualY-BOCS, Yale-Brown obsessive-compulsive scale
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