The Effectiveness of Transdiagnostic CBT Protocol on Anxiety Disorders

Summary

The transdiagnostic approach argues that the common features are needed to be taken into account \[e.g. distress intolerance (DI), intolerance of uncertainty (IU), worry)\] underlying emotional disorders rather than evaluating them separately due to the fact that the dissection of anxiety disorders has increased with each emerging version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), in which the classification of anxiety disorders resulted in an increased number of intervention protocols for each disorder. This also caused an increase of comorbidity among anxiety disorders. Transdiagnostic approach offers a unified protocol (UP) for strengthening the common features, and thereby both preventing the emergence of emotional disorders or intervening the symptom severity of emotional disorders, which can be applied to different types of emotional disorders. The main aim of this study is to develop a UP which is planned to be applied as a group therapy. The UP will include interventions developing the levels of common transdiagnostic features (DI, IU and worry). The study's second aim is to investigate the effect of the developed UP on DI, IU and worry. The third one is to search the effect of the developed UP on symptom severity levels of anxiety disorders. Fourthly, this study will search if the levels of transdiagnostic common features (DI, IU and worry) will predict the levels of symptom severity of anxiety disorders'.

Conditions

• Anxiety Disorders
• Social Anxiety Disorder
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder
• Panic Disorder
• Anxiety Disorder NOS

Interventions

OTHER

Unified Protocol for Anxiety Disorders

The UP is planned in group therapy format and includes interventions on common transdiagnostic features. The sessions in the protocol are planned as follows: Session 1 - Assessment: introduction, talking on group rules and the process, setting goals Session 2 - Psychoeducation: the CBT model is introduced. Session 3 - Emotions: the role of emotions are discussed. Session 4, 5 \& 6 - Thoughts: the role of thoughts is mentioned. The participants learn to challenge unfunctional thoughts and generate alternative explanations. Also, exercises on excessive worry are applied. Session 7 - Behaviors: the role of behaviors and the things that can/cannot be controlled are discussed. Session 8 - Evaluation \& Maintaining Accomplishments: includes a review of what has been learnt during the group therapy and an evaluation on maintaining the accomplishments. Session 9 - Follow-up session: one month later.

OTHER

Client-centered Supportive Therapy

Client-entered therapy provides a non-directive supportive environment for the participants, that includes reflective listening and nonjudgmental and empathic communication. In this group, no CBT intervention will be applied. Through the supportive and non-directive environment, only the effect of relationship will be investigated as a common factor in psychotherapy.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Ibn Haldun University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Iclal AYDIN, MA · İbn Haldun University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

65 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-06-20

Primary Completion

2024-09-30

Completion

2025-01-31

Countries

• Turkey (Türkiye)