SFGT for Persistent Anxiety and Depression

GGZ Noord-Holland-Noord

Status

Completed

Conditions

Depressive Symptoms

Persistent

Anxiety Depression

Anxiety Disorders

Treatments

Behavioral: short-term schema focused group therapy

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT05942495

NL83423.018.22

Details and patient eligibility

About

Rationale: Although there are effective treatments available for anxiety and depression, there is a large group of clients that does not benefit sufficiently from first-choice treatment. For this group of clients, no suitable alternative exists yet. One of the main hypothesis about maintaining factors is that there are underlying personality features that impede recovery. Schema focused therapy (SFT) is a transdiagnostic therapy focusing on underlying personality features. It has been proven to be an effective therapy for people with personality disorders and there are initial indications that SFT is also an effective treatment for anxiety and depressive symptoms. A short-term schema focused group therapy (SFGT) has been developed within GGZ-NHN, which is expected to benefit clients with persistent anxiety and depressive symptoms, but has not yet been studied.

Objective of the study: In the present study the effectiveness of short-term SFGT (protocol of De Jager, Burger & Groot) on (1) persistent anxiety and depressive symptoms, and (2) early maladaptive schemas (EMS), experiential avoidance and the mode of the healthy adult will be investigated.

Full description

Study design: A Single Case Experimental Design (SCED), using repeated measures over four different phases.

Enrollment

15 patients

Sex

All

Ages

18 to 65 years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Persistent anxiety or depression symptoms (at least moderate score at the subscale depression (≥7 or anxiety ≥6 on the DASS-21).
- History of at least one previous evidence-based therapy focused on anxiety, depression or PTSD according to the Dutch national guidelines.
- Able to comprehend Dutch at a level sufficient to complete self-report.

Exclusion criteria

Clients with severe problems that need to be addressed first, including substance abuse, psychosis, anxiety disorder, PTSD or depression that not have been treated.
- Start of (or change in) medication which is not yet stabilized at the start of this study.
- Psychosocial problems such as homelessness, no income or high debts which would make the clients unable to participate in a group.