Transdiagnostic Group Therapy Research Articles

Effectiveness of online integrative trans-diagnostic treatment on internet addiction and high-risk behaviors in female adolescents with borderline personality disorder with comorbid depressive disorder.

Based on research, borderline personality disorder is associated with many behavioral and emotional problems, including Internet addiction and high-risk behaviors. On the other hand, integrative trans-diagnostic treatment, by targeting trans-diagnostic factors in emotional pathology, is considered a suitable treatment for comorbid psychological pathologies. Also, since in adolescence, the opinion of others about oneself is more important, online therapy has the advantage of protecting them from the fear of stigma and shame in the face of others' judgments. Therefore, the aim of the current research was to investigate the effectiveness of online integrative trans-diagnostic treatment on the internet addiction and high-risk behaviors in adolescents with borderline personality disorder. The current research was applied and quasi-experimental in a pre-test-post-test manner with a control group. The research sample included 40 female adolescents with borderline personality disorder who were randomly divided into two groups of 20 people, experimental and control groups. The criteria for entering the research included the age range of 12 to 18 years, female, confirmation of the disease by a psychologist, not receiving other psychological treatments in the last 3 months, and having a smartphone to participate in the online group. Substance abuse, any serious mental and physical illness/disorder that interferes with treatment, and failure to attend more than two sessions in therapy sessions were some of the exclusion criteria.The participants were tested on the scales of internet addiction and high-risk behaviors. Then, the treatment plan based on online integrative trans-diagnostic group therapy was presented to the participants of the experimental group online in 9 two-hour sessions. The control group was placed on the waiting list until the completion of the treatment sessions and the post-test implementation, and after the post-test implementation, they received the treatment. Then, their scores were measured, after completing the treatment, and a three-month follow-up period. Descriptive statistics and covariance test were used to analyze the data. Patients showed a clear improvement in the severity of internet addiction and high-risk behavior symptoms. So that the scores of internet addiction and high-risk behaviors in the experimental group after receiving the treatment, as well as after a three-month follow-up period, were significantly reduced (p < 0.001). These results show that online integrative trans-diagnostic therapy can be an effective treatment option for reducing some symptoms of risky behaviors and internet addiction in adolescents with borderline personality disorder and should be studied further. It is noteworthy that the limitations of this study were the available sampling method, the use of a unisex sample of female patients, and the short-term follow-up period, which makes it difficult to generalize the results.

Comparing online group therapy based on emotional schema therapy with transdiagnostic therapy in improving distress tolerance and cognitive emotion regulation among university students with adjustment disorders due to romantic break‐ups

AbstractThis study aimed to compare the effectiveness of online group therapy based on emotional schema therapy with that of transdiagnostic therapy in improving distress tolerance and cognitive emotion regulation among university students with adjustment disorders due to romantic break‐ups. The statistical population included all students who experienced a romantic break‐up in Iran in 2020, aged 18–38 years. Due to COVID‐19 pandemic restrictions, participants were selected online. After filling in initial forms, diagnostic interviews were conducted through purposive sampling. A group was then randomly selected and divided into three groups: the first experimental group (transdiagnostic group therapy) included 15 participants; the second experimental group (emotional schema therapy) consisted of 15 participants; and the third group was the control group with 15 participants. The experimental groups received ten 90‐min group therapy sessions. Participants completed the Distress Tolerance Questionnaire and the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire at pretest, post‐test and 1‐month follow‐up stages. According to the results of repeated measures ANOVA, there were significant differences between the experimental and control groups (p &lt; 0.05) in the post‐test scores of distress tolerance and cognitive emotion regulation strategies. However, there were no significant differences between the two experimental groups. The results indicated that both internet‐based transdiagnostic group therapy and emotional schema therapy were effective interventions in mitigating symptoms of adjustment disorders due to romantic break‐ups among university students. This highlights the potential of online group therapy as a viable option for students experiencing such disorders, particularly during pandemic‐related restrictions.

A Transdiagnostic group therapy for sleep and anxiety among adults with substance use disorders: Protocol and pilot investigation.

Treatment of substance use disorders (SUDs) is challenging with high rates of treatment dropout and relapse, particularly among individuals with comorbid psychiatric conditions. Anxiety and insomnia are prevalent among those with SUD and exacerbate poor treatment outcomes. Interventions that concurrently target anxiety and insomnia during the early stages of SUD treatment are lacking. To this end, we investigated the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness in a single-arm pilot trial of an empirically informed group transdiagnostic intervention, Transdiagnostic SUD Therapy, to concurrently reduce anxiety and improve sleep among adults receiving treatment for SUD. Specifically, we hypothesized that participants would evidence declines in anxiety and insomnia and improvements in sleep health, a holistic, multidimensional pattern of sleep-wakefulness that promotes wellbeing. A secondary aim was to describe the protocol for Transdiagnostic SUD Therapy and how it may be implemented into a real-world addiction treatment setting. Participants were 163 adults (Mage = 43.23; 95.1% White; 39.93% female) participating in an intensive outpatient program for SUD who attended at least three of four Transdiagnostic SUD Therapy sessions. Participants had diverse SUDs (58.3% alcohol use disorder, 19.0% opioid use disorder) and nearly a third of the sample met criteria for two SUDs and comorbid mental health diagnoses (28.9% anxiety disorder, 24.6% major depressive disorder). As anticipated, anxiety and insomnia reduced significantly across the 4-week intervention period from clinical to subclinical severity, and sleep health significantly improved (ps < 0.001). These statistically significant improvements following Transdiagnostic SUD Therapy demonstrated medium to large effects (ds > 0.5). Transdiagnostic SUD Therapy is designed to be flexibly administered in "real-world" clinical settings and, preliminarily, appears to be effective in improving emotional and behavioral factors that increase risk for return to substance use and poor SUD treatment outcomes. Additional work is needed to replicate these findings, determine the feasibility of widespread uptake of Transdiagnostic SUD Therapy, and examine whether the treatment effects translate to improvement in substance use outcomes.

Treatment for Individuals With Severe Mental Illness Who Use Illicit Drugs While Maintained on Methadone: Mindfulness and Modification Therapy.

Substantial research has noted the serious consequences of 1) co-occurring severe mental illness (SMI) and substance use disorders, and 2) use of illicit drugs while maintained on methadone for opioid dependence. However, treatment needs of individuals who meet both of the above criteria remain largely unmet. This pilot study investigated the feasibility and acceptability of a 12-week, transdiagnostic group therapy (mindfulness and modification therapy [MMT]) tailored for opioid-dependent individuals (N = 6) with SMI and illicit drug use. Retention was 83%. At posttreatment and 2-month follow-up, participants rated the treatment as highly helpful (9 of 10; 8.67 of 10, respectively), reported routinely practicing the guided-mindfulness exercises, and reported high confidence that they would continue to practice. Assessments revealed clinically meaningful decreases in reported days of illicit drug use at posttreatment and follow-up, with large effect sizes. Preliminary evidence suggests that MMT may be a feasible and acceptable therapy that may improve treatment engagement in this underserved population.

Transdiagnostic group therapy for people with self- critic and low self esteem, based on compassion focused therapy principles

BackgroundPeople with mental health problems often have difficulties linked to high self-criticism and shame, and may be fearful of and resistant to compassionate and prosocial motives. Compassion focused therapy (CFT) is specifically designed to help people address these difficulties, cultivate and build compassionate motives and emotions for self and others. There is increasing evidence for the effectiveness of CFT for both individuals and groups. This study, describing a protocol and evaluating a protocol-based CFT group treatment, adds to the evidence base in a Danish community transdiagnostic group of patients, suffering from shame, self- criticism, depression and anxiety.MethodsThis is a naturalistic study from a private psychiatric practice. Based on CFT theory and practice we developed a protocol for group therapy. As part of a routine procedure in the clinic, people were rated according to BAI, BDI and SES pre-and post-treatment. Ten groups, involving 102 patients with various psychiatric diagnosis followed a ten- week compassion mind- training programme with an eleventh follow-up session.ResultsCFT Group treatment significantly reduced the group participants’ symptoms of depression and anxiety while increasing self-esteem. There was no significant difference in outcome between the various diagnostic categories.ConclusionsFor this cohort of patients with severe psychological problems, protocol-based compassion focused group therapy was an effective treatment regardless of their diagnosis.

Transdiagnostic cognitive behavioural treatment and the impact of co-morbidity: An open trial in a cohort of primary care patients

Background: The development of initiatives to improve access to psychological therapies has been driven by the realization that untreated anxiety and depression are both very common and costly to individuals as well as society. Effective and efficient treatments, mostly in the form of cognitive behavioural therapies (CBT), can be used in ways which enhance their acceptability and accessibility. To date, numbers of group therapies have been developed to improve cost efficiency, but in spite of growing interest in transdiagnostic approaches, group therapies have so far mostly been diagnosis specific. Aims: This study is aimed at evaluating a brief transdiagnostic cognitive behavioural group therapy (TCBGT) designed to treat both anxiety and depression among patients in primary care. Method: The participants were 287 adult patients in primary care with diagnoses of depression and/or anxiety disorders. They underwent a 5-week TCBGT. A mixed design ANOVA was used to evaluate differential effects of treatment according to diagnostic groups (anxiety versus depression) and number of diagnoses (co-morbidity). Results: Pre–post differences were significant and the treatment was equally effective for both anxiety disorders and depression. Number of diagnoses did not affect the outcome. Conclusions: The study indicates feasibility of the brief transdiagnostic group therapy for a wide range of mood and anxiety disorders in primary care. The results indicate that low intensity, brief transdiagnostic group therapies may be a feasible way to improve access to psychological therapies for a large number of patients.

Does Experience Matter? Trainee Experience and Outcomes During Transdiagnostic Cognitive-Behavioral Group Therapy for Anxiety

Research examining the impact of therapist experience on client outcomes has yielded mixed findings. The current study aimed to improve upon previous research by examining the impact of global trainee therapists' experience, as well as treatment protocol-specific experience, on client outcomes. Data were obtained based on 319 clients being treated by 33 therapists using a 12-week transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioral group therapy specifically for anxiety disorders. Results demonstrated that clients overall showed significant improvement in self-reported anxiety and clinician severity ratings, and that the amount of therapist experience was unrelated to improvement. The current study suggests that trainee therapists' experience, whether examined as global amount of therapy experience or specific experience delivering a specific treatment protocol, was unrelated to treatment outcomes or treatment discontinuation across a range of outcomes.

Transdiagnostic group therapy for anxiety disorders

Transdiagnostic group therapy for anxiety disorders