Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34875669›Full record

Trial reportPsychotherapy and psychosomatics2022

Effectiveness of a Videoconferencing-Delivered Psychological Intervention for Mental Health Problems during COVID-19: A Proof-of-Concept Randomized Clinical Trial.

Richard A Bryant, Katie S Dawson, Dharani Keyan, Suzanna Azevedo, Srishti Yadav, Jenny Tran, Natasha Rawson, Samuel Harvey

Open access · hybridAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Psychotherapy and psychosomatics, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
19citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
3.6field-weighted citation impact, top 7% 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

19 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 30 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

8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Richard A BryantUniversity of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Katie S DawsonUniversity of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Dharani KeyanUniversity of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Suzanna AzevedoUniversity of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Srishti YadavUniversity of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Jenny TranUniversity of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Natasha RawsonUniversity of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Samuel HarveyUniversity of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
UNSW Sydney · AUBlack Dog Institute · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionAnxiety and depression have increased markedly during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a lack of evidence-based strategies to address these mental health needs during the pandemic.

objectiveWe aim to conduct a proof-of-concept trial of the efficacy of a brief group-based psychological intervention delivered via videoconferencing for adults in Australia distressed by the pandemic.

methodsIn this single-blind, parallel, randomised controlled trial, adults who screened positive for COVID-related psychological distress across Australia were randomly allocated to either a 6-session group-based program based on behavioural principles (n = 120) or enhanced usual care (EUC, n = 120). Primary outcome was total score on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HADS) anxiety and depression subscales assessed at baseline, 1 week posttreatment, 2 months (primary outcome time point), and 6 months after treatment, as well as secondary outcome measures of worry, sleep impairment, anhedonia, mood, and COVID-19-related stress.

resultsBetween May 20, 2020, and October 20, 2020, 240 patients were enrolled into the trial. Relative to EUC, at 2 months participants receiving intervention showed greater reduction on anxiety (mean difference, 1.4 [95% CI, 0.3 to 2.6], p = 0.01; effect size, 0.4 [95% CI, 0.1 to 0.7]) and depression (mean difference, 1.6 [95% CI, 0.4 to 2.8], p = 0.009; effect size, 0.4 [95% CI, 0.2 to 0.7]) scales. These effects were maintained at 6 months. There were also greater reductions of worry, anhedonia, COVID-19-related fears, and contamination fears.

conclusionsThis trial provides initial evidence that brief group-based behavioural intervention delivered via videoconferencing results in moderate reductions in common psychological problems arising during the COVID-19 pandemic. This program may offer a viable and scalable means to mitigate the rising mental health problems during the pandemic.

Indexed as

COVID-19AdultDepressionHumansMental HealthPandemicsPsychosocial InterventionSARS-CoV-2Single-Blind MethodTreatment OutcomeVideoconferencingAnxietyBehaviour therapyControlled trialCOVID-19Depression

Identifiers

PMID34875669
PMCPMC8820421
OpenAlexW4200432933

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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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.