ArticleJMIR formative research2022
Efficacy of a Web-Based Intervention for Depressive Disorders: Three-Arm Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Guided and Unguided Self-Help With Waitlist Control.
Article in JMIR formative research, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 36 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy of prescription-eligible digital health applications for depression and generalized anxiety disorder in Germany: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2026Pooled it
- Heterogeneity of Treatment Effects in Internet- and Mobile-Based Interventions for Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.JAMA network open · 2024Pooled it
- [Efficacy of internet-based interventions for depression available in Germany-A systematic review and meta-analysis].Der Nervenarzt · 2024Pooled it
- Delivery Model Matters for Digital Interventions in Pain Self-Management: Mixed Methods Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Trial
- Evaluation of the internet-based intervention "Selfapy" in participants with unipolar depression and the impact on quality of life: a randomized, parallel group study.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2024Trial
- Digital therapeutics for depression in Germany: A systematic app review.Internet interventions · 2026Article
- Prediction of Treatment Benefit With Internet-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression.JAMA network open · 2026Article
- Real-world data on uptake and use of digital mental health interventions among waitlisted patients with various mental disorders.Internet interventions · 2026Article
- Culturally Informed Digital Behavioral Intervention Development for Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Qualitative Study.Inflammatory bowel diseases · 2025Article
- Usability Evaluation of Digital Health Applications for Older People With Depressive Disorders: Prospective Observational Study in a Mixed Methods Design.JMIR human factors · 2025Observational
- [Digital health applications for depressive disorders in Germany : A narrative review of the evidence and integration into treatment].Der Nervenarzt · 2025Review
- Effectiveness of digital interventions for eight mental disorders: A meta-analytic synthesis.Internet interventions · 2025Review
- Developing a Behavioral Phenotyping Layer for Artificial Intelligence-Driven Predictive Analytics in a Digital Resiliency Course: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2025Article
- Healthcare effects and evidence robustness of reimbursable digital health applications in Germany: a systematic review.NPJ digital medicine · 2025Article
- Participatory Intervention Development of a Peer-Guided Self-Help App for Anxiety Disorders: Mixed Methods Study.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- Cost-effectiveness analysis of mHealth applications for depression in Germany using a Markov cohort simulation.NPJ digital medicine · 2024Article
- Nudges and Prompts Increase Engagement in Self-Guided Digital Health Treatment for Depression and Anxiety: Results From a 3-Arm Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR formative research · 2024Article
- Working alliance and its link to guidance in an internet-based intervention for depressive disorders: a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Article
- Digital Health Applications in the Area of Mental Health.Deutsches Arzteblatt international · 2023Review
- Improving Mild to Moderate Depression With an App-Based Self-Guided Intervention: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDigital health apps are efficacious treatment options for mild-to-moderate depressive disorders. However, the extent to which psychological guidance increases the efficacy of these apps is controversial.
objectiveWe evaluated the efficacy of a web-based intervention, called Selfapy, for unipolar depression. We also investigated differences between psychotherapist-guided and unguided versions.
methodsSelfapy is a cognitive behavioral therapy-based intervention for depressive disorders. Participants with mild-to-severe depressive disorders were assigned randomly to participate in either guided (weekly 25-minute duration telephone calls) intervention, unguided version, or waiting list (control group) for 12 weeks. We assessed depressive symptoms at the start of the study, midway through the intervention (6 weeks), at the end of the intervention (12 weeks), and at follow-up (6 months). The main outcome was difference in the Beck Depression Inventory score between the start of the study and the end of the intervention. Secondary outcomes were the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self Report, the Hamilton Rating Depression Scale, and the Beck Anxiety Inventory.
resultsOf 401 participants, 301 participants (75.1%) completed the intervention. Changes in the Beck Depression Inventory from baseline differed significantly between groups at the postintervention (F
conclusionsBoth guided and unguided versions of the intervention were highly effective in reducing depressive symptoms. Follow-up data suggest that these effects could be maintained. The guided version was not superior to the unguided version.
trial registrationGerman Clinical Trials Register DRKS00017191; https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5hnx. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): RR2-10.1186/s13063-021-05218-4.
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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.