Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34763219›Full record

ArticleJournal of anxiety disorders2021

The uptake and outcomes of Internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy for health anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Maria J Sharrock, Alison E J Mahoney, Hila Haskelberg, Michael Millard, Jill M Newby

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of anxiety disorders, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
17citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
5.5field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

17 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 46 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Maria J SharrockClinical Research Unit for Anxiety and Depression, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales at St Vincent's Hospital, 390 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney, New South Wales 2010, Australia. Electronic address: maria.sharrock@svha.org.au.
Alison E J MahoneyClinical Research Unit for Anxiety and Depression, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales at St Vincent's Hospital, 390 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney, New South Wales 2010, Australia; School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia. Electronic address: alison.mahoney@svha.org.au.
Hila HaskelbergClinical Research Unit for Anxiety and Depression, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales at St Vincent's Hospital, 390 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney, New South Wales 2010, Australia. Electronic address: hila.haskelberg@svha.org.au.
Michael MillardClinical Research Unit for Anxiety and Depression, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales at St Vincent's Hospital, 390 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney, New South Wales 2010, Australia; School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia. Electronic address: michael.millard@svha.org.au.
Jill M NewbySchool of Psychology, Faculty of Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, 2052, Australia; Black Dog Institute, Hospital Road, Randwick, New South Wales 2031, Australia. Electronic address: j.newby@unsw.edu.au.
St Vincent's Hospital Sydney · AUUNSW Sydney · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundInternet cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT) for health anxiety has demonstrated efficacy but has not been evaluated during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study presents the first evaluation of the uptake and outcomes of iCBT for health anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic.

methodsTHIS WAY UP is an Australian digital mental health service which delivers iCBT interventions to community members. We compared the uptake of THIS WAY UP's iCBT course for health anxiety in an Australian adult sample who started the course before the pandemic (12th September 2019-11 th March 2020) to during the pandemic (12th March to 11th June 2020). The course was accessible to Australian adults over 18 years old, with no inclusion criteria. Outcomes included course registrations and commencements, lesson and course completion, and self-reported health anxiety (Short Health Anxiety Inventory), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item) and distress (Kessler-10).

resultsFrom March to June 2020, we observed significant increases in course registrations (N = 238 vs N = 1057); and course commencements (N = 126 vs. N = 778). Large, significant improvements in health anxiety (g = 0.89), and distress (K10: g = 0.91), and medium improvements in depression (g = 0.55) were found. Course completion during COVID was 30.5%.

conclusionsiCBT improved health anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic, and provides scalable intervention that can address increased demands for mental health services in the community.

Indexed as

Cognitive Behavioral TherapyCOVID-19AdolescentAdultAnxietyAustraliaHumansInternetPandemicsSARS-CoV-2Treatment OutcomeCOVID-19EffectivenessHealth anxietyiCBTInternet intervention

Identifiers

PMID34763219
PMCPMC8570415
OpenAlexW3208966700

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.