Efficacy of Group Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Youth Anxiety and Insomnia
InsomniaAnxietyYouth is an important transitional stage associated with dynamic changes in biological, cognitive, and psychological functioning, as well as a constellation of developmental and psychosocial challenges. In particular, anxiety disorders constitute the most common mental health problems in youth, with a prevalence rate up to 32%. Youth anxiety is associated with not only profound personal distress, but also considerable impairments in psychosocial functioning and an increased risk for developing other psychiatric comorbidities (e.g. depression, substance use). Meanwhile, sleep problems, particularly insomnia, are also common in the teen years, with a prevalence rate as high as 36%. Insomnia and anxiety are highly comorbid conditions, with increasing evidence suggesting their intricate, bidirectional relationship, such as a high level of anxiety symptoms found in youth with insomnia. However, optimal treatment strategies to manage the comorbidity of these two conditions remain uncertain. This study will test the efficacy of group-based cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) and cognitive behavioural therapy for anxiety (CBT-A) in reducing the severity of insomnia and anxiety symptoms in youth with comorbid insomnia and anxiety, as well as their effects on depressive symptoms, daytime functioning (e.g. sleepiness, fatigue), subjective and objective sleep measures.
Attention Bias Modification Training for Social Phobia (ABMSP)
Social Anxiety DisorderAttentional bias has primarily been investigated as a primary cognitive etiology of social anxiety symptoms. Previous research has found that individuals with high social anxiety showed facilitated attentional engagement to threat stimuli or delayed disengagement of attention from threat. Attentional Bias Modification Training (ABMT) was developed through applying the attentional mechanism in social anxiety. During ABMT, participants are deliberately induced to shift their attention away from threat stimuli and toward neutral stimuli. Despite its proven effectiveness, a recent meta-study found that the effect size of ABMT is significant but too small. As a result, the current study focuses on improving the existing ABMT by incorporating integrative factors into attention training. The current study aims to integrate bottom-up and top-down cognitive processes in ABMT. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two conditions (active or placebo training) and will complete the ABMT for three weeks. The ABMT's efficacy will be assessed by comparing pre- and post-training measures.
Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment for Depression and Anxiety in Adults
DepressionAnxietyTo conduct a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a culturally adapted Unified Protocol (UP) for transdiagnostic psychological treatment in adults (age 18 and above) with anxiety and/or depression to assess the feasibility and acceptability of UP treatment. The main questions it aims to answer are: To assess the estimates of likely recruitment rates including how many approached, volunteered, screened, retained, and complete the treatment and what is the dropout rate? To what degree do participants adhere and engage with the treatment procedures? To what extent do the participants feel satisfied with the treatment? To what degree do participants complete self-report and clinician-administered measures of anxiety, depression, functional impairment, and emotion regulation? What is the treatment outcome with regard to emotion regulation, symptoms of anxiety, depression, functional impairment, and emotion regulation? The participants will be randomized to either the treatment group or the control group. The treatment group will receive 14 sessions of one-on-one individual treatment with the Unified Protocol. The control group will receive no treatment.
Music Therapy in the Treatment of Perioperative Anxiety and Pain
PainPost Operative2 moreA large number of adults who undergo surgery experience perioperative anxiety and pain. The current recommended approach to perioperative pain management is a multimodal approach including opioids. Evidence has demonstrated that the pharmacological management of pain and anxiety is often associated with side effects which limits patient satisfaction and their ability to be discharged from the hospital. Furthermore, it is established that perioperative level of pain is directly correlated to anxiety, depression, and catastrophizing and these are significant predictors for the level of postoperative pain, as well as at the hospital length of stay. Therefore, considerations have been given to the use of non-pharmaceutical complementary approaches to management of anxiety including pre and postoperative use of music. The benefits of music therapy on anxiety has been reported using several surgical models and conditions in adults (cancer, hysterectomy in cancer) and children, prior to surgery and after. The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of music interventions on anxiety and pain in adult populations undergoing diverse types of minor surgery indicate that music therapy significantly reduces both post operative anxiety and pain in adults receiving music interventions before, during, or after surgery.
Does Virtual Reality Technology Reduce Pain and Anxiety During Outpatient Hysteroscopy?
AnxietyPainHysteroscopy is a common procedure where a camera attached to a thin scope is passed into the uterus via the vagina and cervix in order to obtain views of the inside of the uterus. Hysteroscopy is used for the diagnosis and management of a variety of benign and conditions as well as the diagnosis of uterine cancer. It can be performed under general anaesthetic or in an outpatient setting without formal anaesthetic. The latter has several advantages when compared to hysteroscopy with general anaesthesia as it avoids the additional risk of general anaesthesia, has a quicker recovery time, shorter hospital stay and reduced cost. However, women may experience discomfort or pain during an outpatient procedure and pain is one of the most common reasons for failure to complete the procedure. The most appropriate way to manage pain and anxiety during outpatient hysteroscopy is not yet fully understood and conventional therapy, as recommended by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, involves the use of simple pain killers taken prior to the procedure and sometimes local anaesthetic during the procedure. In recent years virtual reality software has been developed and used in a variety of different settings to alleviate pain and anxiety during medical procedures. This study aims to investigate whether the use of virtual reality as an adjunct to conventional pain management can reduce anxiety and pain during outpatient hysteroscopy. The study will take the form of a randomised controlled trial at St Mary's hospital London. A randomly selected group of patients undergoing outpatient hysteroscopy with conventional management plus the addition of virtual reality software will be compared to a control group of patients undergoing the procedure with conventional management only.
Epidiolex® for Anxiety in Pediatric Epilepsy
AnxietyEpilepsyThis is a prospective open label study assessing the efficacy and tolerability of pharmaceutical grade cannabidiol--Epidiolex (R), for the treatment of anxiety in pediatric patients with pediatric epilepsy that has been difficult to treat and requires ongoing use of anticonvulsant medication.
Interpretation Training to Reduce Anxiety: Evaluating Technology-based Delivery Models and Methods...
AnxietyThe project aims to compare effectiveness and target engagement of CBM-I delivered via computer vs. mobile phone, and test if adding minimal human contact for participants at risk of dropout improves retention and outcomes.
Optimizing Psychotherapy for Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety DisordersAnxiety disorders are highly prevalent and are associated with a high burden of disease, costs and individual impairment worldwide. Psychotherapy, especially cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), is the first line treatment for anxiety disorders. CBT is effective in modifying dysfunctional cognitions and reducing avoidance behavior, thus leading to a lasting reduction of symptoms. Even though CBT is generally effective, around 50% of patients do not benefit sufficiently from this treatment. The current study aims at optimizing the treatment of anxiety disorders by identifying predictors of treatment response. Multiple (neuro-)psychological, biological, genetic and behavioral variables will be combined into a comprehensive prediction model of treatment outcome. Knowledge on predictors can then be used to improve therapy on an individual patient level.
Brief Smartphone Treatment Study
Generalized Anxiety DisorderLittle is known about whether and how brief mindfulness therapies yield clinically beneficial effects. This gap exists despite the rapid growth of smartphone mindfulness applications and presence of mental health treatment gap. Specifically, no prior brief, smartphone mindfulness ecological momentary intervention (MEMI) has targeted generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Moreover, although theories propose that mindfulness intervention can boost attentional control (AC), executive functioning (EF), perspective-taking, and social cognition skills they have largely gone untested. Thus, this randomized controlled trial (RCT) aims to address these gaps by assessing the efficacy of a 14-day smartphone mindfulness EMI (vs. placebo). Participants with GAD will be randomly assigned to either MEMI or self-monitoring placebo (SMP). Those in treatment will exercise multiple core mindfulness strategies (open monitoring, acceptance, attending to small moments, slowed rhythmic diaphragmatic breathing). Also, those in MEMI will be reminded before bedtime that mindfulness is a lifelong practice. Comparatively, participants assigned to SMP will only be prompted to practice self-monitoring. They will notice their thoughts, rate any distress associated with them, and will not be taught any mindfulness strategies. All prompts will occur 5 times a day, for 14 consecutive days. They will complete self-reports and neuropsychological assessments at pre-, post-, and 1-month follow-up. Multilevel modeling analyses will determine if treatment (vs. self-monitoring placebo (SMP)) produces substantially larger reductions in trait worry and negative perseverative cognitions as well as steeper increases in AC and EF (inhibition, set-shifting, working memory updating). In addition, the investigators hypothesized that MEMI (vs. SMP) would lead to greater increases in performance-based and self-reported trait mindfulness, empathy, and perspective taking. Findings will advance understanding of the efficacy of unguided, technology-assisted, brief mindfulness in a clinical sample.
Internet Transdiagnostic-CBT for Anxiety and Depression in Adolescents
Anxiety DisorderDepressive Disorder1 moreThis study represents the first research program to assess the efficacy of transdiagnostic cognitive behavior therapy (T-CBT) delivered via internet for anxiety and depression in adolescents. The primary aim of the study was to implement the program AMTE (Aprende a Manejar tus Emociones [Learn to Manage Your Emotions]), an internet delivered T-CBT protocol designed to target both anxiety and depression symptoms and disorders (major depression disorder, dysthymic disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorder, and social anxiety disorder) in adolescents, and to establish its preliminary efficacy on anxiety and depressive symptomatology. A secondary objective is to demonstrate its potential effect regarding: (a) transdiagnostic measures associated with etiology of emotional disorders including negative affect, anxiety sensitivity, and emotional avoidance, and (b) positive factors including satisfaction with life and positive affect. It is expected that the T-CBT condition will be more effective than the waitlist (WL) control group on the primary (anxiety and depression) and secondary (transdiagnostic and positive factors) outcome measures.