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Transdiagnostic Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Individuals with Anxiety Disorders: An Open Trial

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 December 2020

Shaun Pearl  and
Peter J. Norton Open the ORCID record for Peter J. Norton [Opens in a new window]
Shaun Pearl
Affiliation:
Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
Peter J. Norton*
Affiliation:
Cairnmillar Institute, Hawthorn East, Victoria, Australia
*
*Corresponding author: Peter J. Norton, The Cairnmillar Institute, 391-393 Tooronga Road, Hawthorn East, VIC3123, Australia. Email: peter.norton@cairnmillar.edu.au
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Abstract

Objective:

To evaluate the effect of a transdiagnostic cognitive behavioural therapy (tCBT) protocol in an individual delivery format, adapted from a protocol that has been extensively evaluated in a group delivery format.

Method:

tCBT was provided to a cohort (N = 18) of adults with a range of anxiety disorders (55.6% male; M age = 40.6, SD = 17.6), at a speciality anxiety disorder research clinic. A within-subjects repeated measures design was employed. Pre-to-post-treatment diagnostic assessments were analysed through repeated measures analysis of variance, and session-by-session self-reported measures of anxiety, depression, and quality of life were modelled through mixed-effect regression modelling (MRM) to maximise the sample of treatment initiators.

Results:

Significant and large reductions for clinician-rated primary diagnosis severity (Hedges g = 1.63), and overall clinical global impressions (g = 1.43) were observed, and self-reported anxiety and depression symptoms showed significant reductions over the course of treatment with medium-to-large effect sizes (g = 0.66 and 0.74, respectively). Significant improvement to quality of life was also observed with medium effect size (g = 0.53).

Conclusions:

There is now preliminary support for the use of an adaptation of an established group-based tCBT protocol for use with individuals. Implications and recommendations for future investigations are provided.

Keywords

anxiety disordercognitive behaviour therapytransdiagnosticindividual treatmentoutcomes
Type
Standard Paper
Information
Behaviour Change , Volume 38 , Issue 2 , June 2021 , pp. 73 - 83
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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