ArticleHealth expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy2026
The Development and Acceptability of a Psychology-Based Intervention for Debilitating Symptom Complexes Attributed to Ticks.
Article in Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- The Development and Acceptability of a Psychology-Based Intervention for Debilitating Symptom Complexes Attributed to Ticks.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2026Article
- Article
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.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundDebilitating Symptom Complexes Attributed to Ticks (DSCATT) is a chronic, debilitating illness associated with tick bites in Australia. DSCATT is of unknown aetiology, can impact emotional well-being and has no recognised treatments.
objectiveThe development and piloting of a novel psychotherapeutic adjunctive intervention for DSCATT that aimed to increase daily functioning, improve quality of life and reduce the impact of symptoms in people with DSCATT.
methodsThis is a single-site, intervention development and acceptability study. The intervention was developed iteratively according to a Human-Centred Design (HCD) approach and manualised across four phases, with input from end users at each phase: qualitative interviews, development of the intervention, piloting, and revising and refining the intervention. Acceptability of the prototype intervention was evaluated through thematic template analysis of exit interviews. Self-report measures were completed before and after intervention delivery.
resultsFollowing qualitative interviews with 13 participants (11 females and 2 males; aged 35-70 years), the intervention was informed by an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) model interwoven with cognitive and behavioural strategies that targeted DSCATT-specific difficulties. The manualised intervention consisted of 12 1-h weekly individual sessions, delivered by psychologists via Telehealth (video call or telephone). Modules addressed the six core psychological processes of ACT, alongside DSCATT-specific modules addressing cognitive function, sleep and social relationships. Pilot testing and follow-up interviews were conducted in a separate sample of six individuals with DSCATT (all females; aged 46-71 years). All participants reported that the approach benefited their emotional well-being and overall health and would recommend it to others with DSCATT.
conclusionsThis is a novel and theoretically driven psychotherapeutic intervention for DSCATT, co-produced with patient involvement across four phases. Pilot testing suggested the manualised intervention was feasible and acceptable, supporting future evaluation of feasibility and treatment outcomes with randomised controlled trials. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: This study involved the engagement and participation of individuals with DSCATT across four stages of the project, according to an HCD approach-the choice of the intervention; the development of the intervention; the piloting of the intervention, and the assessment of the intervention.
trial registrationThe pilot study component of this project was prospectively registered on the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry (ANZCTR); trial ID: ACTRN12621001032842.
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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.