Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34956841›Full record

ArticleInternet interventions2022

Effects of an internet-based self-help intervention for psychological distress due to COVID-19: Results of a randomized controlled trial.

Noemi Anja Brog, Julia Katharina Hegy, Thomas Berger, Hansjörg Znoj

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Internet interventions, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
24citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
7.4field-weighted citation impact, top 2% 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

24 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 63 citations in OpenAlex.

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  3. Digital training for building resilience: Systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression.Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress · 2022
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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

4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Noemi Anja BrogDepartment of Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, University of Bern, Switzerland.
Julia Katharina HegyDepartment of Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, University of Bern, Switzerland.
Thomas BergerDepartment of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Switzerland.
Hansjörg ZnojDepartment of Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, University of Bern, Switzerland.
University of Bern · CH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic and its far-reaching impact on physical and mental health generate high demand and, accordingly, a great need for treatment opportunities that promote well-being and manage psychological distress. Internet-based interventions are particularly suitable for this purpose. They are easily scalable, readily accessible, and the online format allows for adherence to social distancing. For this reason, we developed an internet-based self-help intervention called ROCO to address psychological distress due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This randomized controlled trial aimed to examine the efficacy of the ROCO intervention.

methodsA total of 107 German-speaking adults with at least mild depressive symptoms were randomized either to the intervention group with direct access to the three-week ROCO intervention plus care as usual or the waiting control group receiving care as usual. Primary outcome (depressive symptoms) and secondary outcomes (stress, anxiety, resilience, emotion regulation, health-related quality of life, embitterment, loneliness, optimism, and self-efficacy) were assessed pre- and post-treatment and at a 6-week follow-up using self-report questionnaires (e.g. Patient Health Questionnaire-9 for depressive symptoms).

resultsThe average age was 40.36 years (SD = 14.59) and 81.3% of participants were female. The intervention did not significantly reduce primary depressive symptoms (between-group effect size:

conclusionsThe internet-based self-help intervention cannot be recommended for the purpose of reducing depressive symptoms. However, the increase in emotion regulation skills and resilience suggest that the intervention may be suitable for preventive purposes, like improving overall coping with psychological distress or potential stressors. Future research is needed to examine for whom and how the intervention is most effective.

Indexed as

CoronavirusCOVID-19DepressionInternet-based self-helpPsychological distress

Identifiers

PMID34956841
PMCPMC8684052
OpenAlexW4200599083

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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.