Journal Article

Acceptance and commitment therapy as guided self-help for psychological distress and positive mental health: a randomized controlled trial

Schreurs, K. M. G., Pieterse, M. E., Fledderus, M., Bohlmeijer, E. T.

2012

Overview

In order to reduce the high prevalence of depression, early interventions for people at risk of depression are warranted. This study evaluated the effectiveness of an early guided self-help programme based on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for reducing depressive symptomatology. Participants with mild to moderate depressive symptomatology were recruited from the general population and randomized to the self-help programme with extensive email support (n=125), the self-help programme with minimal email support (n=125) or to a waiting list control group (n=126). Participants completed measures before and after the intervention to assess depression, anxiety, fatigue, experiential avoidance, positive mental health and mindfulness. Participants in the experimental conditions also completed these measures at a 3-month follow-up. In the experimental conditions significant reductions in depression, anxiety, fatigue, experiential avoidance and improvements in positive mental health and mindfulness were found, compared with the waiting list condition (effect sizes Cohen's d=0.51-1.00). These effects were sustained at the 3-month follow-up. There were no significant differences between the experimental conditions on the outcome measures. The ACT-based self-help programme with minimal email support is effective for people with mild to moderate depressive symptomatology.

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Subject: Acceptance / Acceptance and commitment therapy / Adaptation, Psychological / Adult / Adult and adolescent clinical studies / Analysis of Variance / Anxiety / Anxiety - prevention & control / Anxiety-Depression / Avoidance / Avoidance behavior / Behavior Therapy - methods / Behavior therapy. Cognitive therapy / Biological and medical sciences / Clinical trials / Counseling / Depression / Depression - prevention & control / Depression - psychology / Depression - therapy / Early intervention / Electronic Mail / Electronic mail systems / Email / Fatigue / Fatigue - prevention & control / Female / Humans / Intention to Treat Analysis / Intervention / Logistic Models / Male / Medical sciences / Medical treatment / Mental depression / Mental disorders / Mental Health / Mental health care / Middle Aged / Mindfulness / Miscellaneous / Mood disorders / Netherlands / Outcome and Process Assessment (Health Care) - statistics & numerical data / Patient Satisfaction / Psychological distress / Psychology / Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry / Psychopathology. Psychiatry / Risk reduction / Self Care - methods / Self Care - psychology / Self concept / Self evaluation / Self help / Selfhelp / Stress / Therapy / Treatments