Ultra-brief Psychological Treatments for Emotional Symptoms and Disorders

Summary

The main objective of this randomized clinical trial is to study if various modalities of brief (eight sessions) and ultra-brief (four sessions) transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioral treatment work for decrease emotional symptoms and disorders, as well as to find out which variables of cognition and of the intervention process itself are involved in the therapeutic improvement.

The investigators will compare the interventions of four groups: brief group treatment (1), ultra-brief group treatment (2), ultra-brief individual treatment (3) with the ultra-brief relaxation (control) group.

The main questions the study aims to answer are:

* Will the brief and ultra-brief treatment formats works better than the relaxation-based control group?
* Will results obtained between the brief group therapy group and the ultra-brief group therapy group be similar?
* Will the individual ultra brief therapy be more effective than the two group therapies because of common factors, such as the therapeutic alliance?
* Will group therapies be more beneficial for cost and in terms of capability to reduce emocional symptoms than individual therapy? Participants will be randomly assigned to each of the groups and will receive the corresponding treatment, with different number of sessions. They will answer a series of questionnaires at the beginning and at the end of the intervention, as well as 3 months and 6 months after the end of the treatment.

Conditions

• Depression - Major Depressive Disorder
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder
• Generalized Anxiety
• Anxiety
• Somatoform Disorders
• Somatic Symptom Disorder (DSM-5)
• Somatization
• Emotional Disorders

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Group brief transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioral therapy

Eight-session treatment based on Barlow's Unified Protocol. These sessions include: improving motivation and commitment to treatment, understanding the functioning of emotions, emotional awareness training, developing more flexible and adaptive thinking patterns, reduction of emotional avoidance and emotion-driven behaviors; awareness and tolerance of physical sensations; interoceptive and situational emotional exposure; achievement, maintenance and relapse prevention. In addition, the intervention incorporates modules on behavioral activation and problem-solving.

BEHAVIORAL

Group relaxation

The participants in this group will receive basic training in Jacobson's progressive relaxation with a similar periodicity to the ultra-brief intervention.

BEHAVIORAL

Group ultra-brief transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioral therapy

This intervention consists of a four-session version of the brief transdiagnostic treatment (Experimental group 1). The reduced format preserves the principal treatment modules, including psychoeducation, emotion regulation, behavioral activation, and problem-solving.The reduction is achieved by combining sessions 1 and 2, eliminating 3 and 6 and combining sessions 7 and 8. Treatment groups will consist of 8-10 people. Each session will have a duration of 1.5 hours and the intervention will be carried out on a weekly basis, with a maximum duration of four weeks.

BEHAVIORAL

Individual ultra-brief transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioral treatment format

Participants of this group, wil receive the same treatment than group 2 (ultra-brief transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioraltreatment in group format) but individual format. Each session will have a duration of 1 hour and the intervention will be carried out on a weekly basis, with a maximum duration of four weeks.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• State Research Agency, Spain

  collaborator OTHER_GOV

• University Hospital Reina Sofia, Cordoba

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Universidad de Córdoba

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Juan Antonio Moriana Elvira Professor · Universidad de Córdoba

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

2026-02-28

Primary Completion

2028-06-30

Completion

2028-09-30

Countries

• Spain

Study Locations