Trial reportJournal of medical Internet research2024
Efficacy of Internet-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Subthreshold Depression Among Older Adults in Institutional Long-Term Care Settings: Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial.
Trial report in Journal of medical Internet research, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 2 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- Comparative effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions on depression and anxiety in aging populations: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Long-Term Effect of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Managing Subclinical Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Depression and anxiety · 2025Pooled it
- Long-Term Effectiveness of Unguided Internet-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Major Depressive Disorder in Chinese Adults: Randomized Controlled Trial With a 12-Month Follow-Up.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2026Trial
- Feasibility of a web video-based positive word stimulation program for older patients with cardiac disease and subthreshold depression admitted to an acute care ward: a pilot randomized controlled trial.European geriatric medicine · 2025Trial
- Culturally Adapted Guided Internet-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Hong Kong People With Depressive Symptoms: Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Trial
- Digital Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Older Adults With Symptoms of Depression: Feasibility Cohort Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- Short-term alterations of brain network properties in subthreshold depression: the impact of Internet-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSubthreshold depression (sD) is prevalent in older populations in long-term care (LTC) settings, but psychological therapy in LTC settings in China is not readily available. Thus, internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (ICBT) may be suitable for this population, but research on the efficacy of ICBT for older adults with sD, especially those living in LTC settings, is limited.
objectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and acceptability of ICBT treatment for sD among LTC residents in China. We also examined whether ICBT is as effective as group-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for treating sD in this population.
methodsWe conducted a pragmatic randomized controlled trial, which included 18 LTC institutions. A total of 354 participants were randomized to ICBT, group-based CBT, or a waiting list and were followed up for 12 months. The primary outcome was self-reported depressive symptoms on the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Secondary outcomes were the scores of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item (GAD-7), and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). A mixed-effects model was used to assess the efficacy of ICBT.
resultsThe ICBT group showed a significant improvement in self-reported depressive symptoms, which was maintained at the 12-month follow-up (all P<.001). The ICBT group exhibited a significantly larger reduction in the scores of the CES-D (Cohen d=0.07, 95% CI 0.04-0.09; P=.01), PHQ-9 (d=0.30, 95% CI 0.28-0.33; P<.001), GDS (d=0.10, 95% CI 0.08-0.13; P<.001), and GAD-7 (d=0.19, 95% CI 0.17-0.22; P<.001) compared with a waiting list at postintervention. ICBT had significantly stronger effects than CBT on the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 at postintervention (d=0.15, 95% CI 0.13-0.17; P<.001 and d=0.21, 95% CI 0.19-0.23; P<.001, respectively), 6-month follow-up (d=0.18, 95% CI 0.16-0.21; P<.001 and d=0.18, 95% CI 0.15-0.21; P<.001, respectively), and 12-month follow-up (d=0.15, 95% CI 0.11-0.19; P<.001 and d=0.18, 95% CI 0.14-0.21; P<.001, respectively).
conclusionsICBT is a relatively effective and acceptable intervention for reducing depressive symptoms among Chinese LTC residents with sD. These findings indicate the usefulness of ICBT application for sD in LTC settings.
trial registrationChinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2000030697; https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=50781.
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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.