Effectiveness of an Internet-Based Self-Help Intervention versus Public Mental Health Advice to Reduce Worry during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Pragmatic, Parallel-Group, Randomized Controlled Trial

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

Introduction: The mental health burden for the general population due to the COVID-19 pandemic has been highlighted. Evidence on effective, easily accessible public health interventions to reduce worry, a major transdiagnostic risk-factor for, e.g., anxiety and depression, is scarce. Objective: In a pragmatic randomized controlled trial, we aimed to assess whether an internet cognitive-behavioral self-help intervention could reduce worry more than public mental health advice in the general population. Methods: Eligible internet users above the age of 18 were recruited from the German general population and randomly assigned, to either get.calm-move.on (GCMO), a 10-day unguided, internet-based self-help intervention, or mental health advice waiting group (MHA-W, receiving officially endorsed mental health recommendations). The primary outcome was level of worry, using the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ), 2 weeks after randomization. Baseline assessment and 2-month and 6-month follow-ups were conducted. The trial was registered at the German Clinical Trials Registry (DRKS00021153). Results: Between April 7, 2020 and December 11, 2020, we randomly assigned 351 individuals to receive either GCMO (n = 175) or MHA-W (n = 176). Participants receiving GCMO (PSWQ = 46.6; change -10.3) reported significantly less worrying at post-intervention (F1,219 = 12.9; p < 0.001; d = 0.38) than MHA-W controls (PSWQ = 51.6; change -5.1). Improvements were also seen on most secondary outcomes, including symptoms of anxiety and depression, general well-being, resiliency, and emotion regulation skills. Improvements made from baseline were stable until the 6-month follow-up. Conclusions: This internet-based self-help intervention providing cognitive-behavioral techniques to cope with the threatening pandemic situation is effective in reducing worry in the general population and should complement existing and potentially effective mental health recommendations.

Original languageEnglish
JournalPsychotherapy and Psychosomatics
Volume91
Issue number6
Pages (from-to)398-410
Number of pages13
ISSN0033-3190
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01.11.2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.

    Research areas

  • COVID-19, Internet-based intervention, Randomized controlled trial, Self-help, Worry
  • Health sciences

Documents

DOI

Recently viewed

Publications

  1. Single photoproduction of η-mesons of hydrogen in the forward direction at 4 and 6 GeV
  2. What shapes ground beetle assemblages in a tree species-rich subtropical forest?
  3. Investigations for the detection of genotoxic substances on TLC plates
  4. The Cox ring of the space of complete rank two collineations
  5. Microstructure, mechanical and corrosion properties of Mg-Gd-Zn alloys
  6. Mechanical and corrosion properties of as-cast and extruded MG10GD alloy for biomedical application
  7. Competition and moral behavior
  8. Cost-Effectiveness and Cost-Benefit Analysis of Maintenance Measures for Open Landscapes
  9. Observer Strategies for Virtual Sensing of Embroidered Metal-Polymer Heater Structure
  10. Monoculture and mixture-planting of non-native Douglas fir alters species composition, but promotes the diversity of ground beetles in a temperate forest system
  11. Effect of calcium addition on the hot working behavior of as-cast AZ31 magnesium alloy
  12. Exports, foreign direct investment, and productivity
  13. Impact of an acceptance facilitating intervention on diabetes patients' acceptance of Internet-based interventions for depression
  14. Drawing blanks and winning
  15. The Influence Of Product Reuse On Production Planning and Control
  16. Multifractality of overlapping non-uniform self-similar measures
  17. Grain refinement of Mg-Al alloys by carbon inoculation
  18. Learning the hard way
  19. On the Problems of Honorary Work in German Sports Clubs – A Qualitative-Dominated Crossover Mixed Methods Study
  20. Development of recyclable Mg-based alloys
  21. Creep and hot working behavior of a new magnesium alloy Mg-3Sn-2Ca
  22. Meta-analytic cointegrating rank tests for dependent panels
  23. Measurement approaches for inigrated reporting adoption and quality
  24. Ablauforganisation in Arztpraxen
  25. Investigations on microstructure and properties of Mg-Sn-Ca alloys with 3% Al additions
  26. Evaluating a web-based PPGIS for the rehabilitation of urban riparian corridors
  27. Multiscale performance of landscape metrics as indicators of species richness of plants, insects and vertebrates
  28. Mechanical behaviors of extruded Mg alloys with high Gd and Nd content
  29. Policy schemes, operational strategies and system integration of residential co-generation fuel cells.
  30. Is there an excess of significant findings in published studies of psychotherapy for depression?
  31. Organic farming affects the biological control of hemipteran pests and yields in spring barley independent of landscape complexity
  32. Assessing Trust by Disclosure in Online Social Networks
  33. Product diversification and stability of employment and sales
  34. Dynamische Modellierung der Sorption von Substanzen in einem hydrologischen Einzugsgebietsmodell anhand des Beispiels Phosphor
  35. Macroeconomic shocks and banks’ foreign assets
  36. Improving compliance with COVID-19 guidance
  37. Predicting expatriate job performance
  38. Alcohol intake can reduce gambling behavior
  39. Statistical Learning and Inference Is Impaired in the Nonclinical Continuum of Psychosis
  40. Schulbezogenes mathematisches Vorwissen von Bewerber*innen auf ein Mathematik-Lehramtsstudium
  41. Plastics in our ocean as transdisciplinary challenge
  42. Investigation On The Influence Of Remanufacturing On Production Planning And Control – A Systematic Literature Review
  43. Stock price reactions to climate science information from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
  44. Effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations on barley, sugar beet and wheat in a rotation
  45. Toward “hardened” accountability?
  46. New evidence for vegetation development and timing of Upper Middle Pleistocene interglacials in Northern Germany and tentative correlations
  47. Intermetallic phase characteristics in the Mg–Nd–Zn system