Is the Unified Protocol for transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorders equally effective for men and women?

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Scientific literature has revealed that there are gender differences in aspects related to mental health. These differences are especially evident in the higher prevalence of emotional disorders (EDs) in women, the greater severity of some clinical variables and symptoms and, also, in the response to psychological treatment. The Unified Protocol (UP) is a transdiagnostic treatment specially designed to address EDs with growing evidence about its cost-effectiveness. The aim of this study is to analyze gender differences in clinical variables and the response to UP treatment applied in a group format. The sample consisted of 277 users (78.3% women) of the Spanish specialized public mental health system, all of them with a diagnosis of EDs. Depressive and anxiety symptomatology, neuroticism, extraversion, interference and quality of life were assessed at baseline, post-treatment, and at 3-, 6- and 12-month follow-ups. We found a statistically significant differences between men and women in severity of depressive and anxious symptomatology, with women presenting the highest scores at the beginning of the treatment. After the intervention, these differences were reduced until no statistically significant differences were found in any of the variables over the 12-month follow-up. The results of this study support the creation of gender-heterogeneous UP groups in the public mental health system for the transdiagnostic treatment of people with EDs. Trial NCT03064477 (March 10, 2017).