Trial reportJournal of medical Internet research2014
Short-term effectiveness of web-based guided self-help for phobic outpatients: randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in Journal of medical Internet research, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 50 citations in OpenAlex.
- Acceptability of Digital Mental Health Interventions for Depression and Anxiety: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Pooled it
- Digital Mental Health Interventions for Alleviating Depression and Anxiety During Psychotherapy Waiting Lists: Systematic Review.JMIR mental health · 2024Pooled it
- The impact of technology systems and level of support in digital mental health interventions: a secondary meta-analysis.Systematic reviews · 2023Pooled it
- Two decades of digital interventions for anxiety disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis of treatment effectiveness.Psychological medicine · 2023Pooled it
- Implementation of Telemental Health Services Before COVID-19: Rapid Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews.Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Pooled it
- Effects of Internet-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Routine Care for Adults in Treatment for Depression and Anxiety: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2020Pooled it
- Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety Disorders in Open Community Versus Clinical Service Recruitment: Meta-Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2019Pooled it
- Blending Face-to-Face and Internet-Based Interventions for the Treatment of Mental Disorders in Adults: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2017Pooled it
- Therapist-supported Internet cognitive behavioural therapy for anxiety disorders in adults.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2016Pooled it
- Efficacy of an internet-based exposure treatment for flying phobia (NO-FEAR Airlines) with and without therapist guidance: a randomized controlled trial.BMC psychiatry · 2019Trial
- Unguided self-help to bridge waiting time for face-to-face therapy in a university student mental health service: interrupted time series analysis.BJPsych open · 2025Article
- Blended Psychological Therapy for the Treatment of Psychological Disorders in Adult Patients: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Interactive journal of medical research · 2024Review
- Mental Distress, Label Avoidance, and Use of a Mental Health Chatbot: Results From a US Survey.JMIR formative research · 2024Article
- An internet-based treatment for flying phobia using 360° images: A feasibility pilot study.Internet interventions · 2022Article
- An Internet-based treatment for Flying Phobia using 360° images: Study protocol for a feasibility pilot study.Internet interventions · 2021Article
- Social Cognitive Theories and Electronic Health Design: Scoping Review.JMIR human factors · 2019Article
- Using internet-based self-help to bridge waiting time for face-to-face outpatient treatment for Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder and related disorders: Study protocol of a randomized controlled trial.Internet interventions · 2019Article
- Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavior Therapy as a Prequel to Face-To-Face Therapy for Depression and Anxiety: A Naturalistic Observation.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2019Article
- Internet-Delivered Psychological Treatment Options for Panic Disorder: A Review on Their Efficacy and Acceptability.Psychiatry investigation · 2019Article
- The effectiveness of guided internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy for social anxiety disorder in a routine care setting.Internet interventions · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundInternet-based guided self-help has been successfully used in the general population, but it is unknown whether this method can be effectively used in outpatient clinics for patients waiting for face-to-face psychotherapy for phobias.
objectiveThe aim was to assess the clinical effectiveness of Phobias Under Control, an Internet-based intervention based on exposure therapy with weekly guidance.
methodsWe conducted a randomized controlled trial, recruiting 212 outpatients scheduled to receive face-to-face psychotherapy for any type of phobia at an outpatient clinic. Participants suffering from at least 1 DSM-IV or ICD-10 classified phobia (social phobia, agoraphobia with or without panic disorder, and/or specific phobia as ascertained by a telephone interview at baseline) were randomly allocated to either a 5-week Internet-based guided self-help program based on exposure therapy with weekly student support followed by face-to-face psychotherapy (n=105) or a wait-list control group followed by face-to-face psychotherapy (n=107). Primary outcome was the Fear Questionnaire (FQ). Secondary outcomes were the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Center of Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale (CES-D). Assessments took place by telephone at baseline (T0) and on the Internet at posttest (T1, self-assessment at 5 weeks after baseline). Missing data at T1 were imputed.
resultsAt posttest, analysis of covariance on the intention-to-treat sample showed significant but small effect sizes between intervention and control groups on the FQ (d=0.35, P=.02), CES-D (d=0.34, P=.03), and a nonsignificant effect size on the BAI (d=0.28. P=.05). Although initial acceptance was good, high nonresponse was observed, with 86 of 212 participants (40.5%) lost to follow-up at T1 and only 14 of 105 (13.3%) intervention participants finishing all 5 weeks.
conclusionsPhobias Under Control is modestly effective in lowering phobic and depressive symptoms in a relatively short period and may be clinically beneficial when implemented in routine outpatient practice.
trial registrationNetherlands Trial Register NTR2233; http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/rctview.asp?TC=2233 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6O2ioOQSs).
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.