Internet-based Self-help for Tinnitus: The Role of Support

Philipps University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Tinnitus

Treatments: Behavioral: iCBT (internet-based, cognitive-behavioural therapy)

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01927991

Titus2

Details and patient eligibility

About

Internet-based cognitive behavioural self-help (iCBT) has become increasingly popular to provide psychotherapy. For several psychological and psychosomatic disorders, treatment efficacy was shown. Previously, iCBT has also been applied to patients suffering from tinnitus and results show significant and long-term stable improvements in tinnitus distress. However, the role of therapeutic support in iCBT has not been thoroughly investigated. Previous results suggest that iCBT without therapeutic support is less effective and leads to higher dropout rates than therapist-guided iCBT. The aim of the randomized controlled trial is thus to investigate the role of therapeutic support in an iCBT for tinnitus sufferers.

Enrollment: 112 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• tinnitus duration of more than 6 months
• severe or most severe tinnitus distress
• age of at least 18 years
• fluent in German

Exclusion criteria

• psychosis, severe psychological disorder, risk for suicide
• prior participation in associated study
• medical disorder as reason for tinnitus, i.e. morbus ménière

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

---

112 participants in 2 patient groups

iCBT with therapeutic support

Experimental group

Description:

Participants work with the online self-help and receive additional therapeutic support on demand

Treatment:

Behavioral: iCBT (internet-based, cognitive-behavioural therapy)

iCBT without therapeutic support

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants work with the online self-help on their own and do not receive additional therapeutic support

Treatment:

Behavioral: iCBT (internet-based, cognitive-behavioural therapy)