Using the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 as Feedback Instruments in Brief Psychotherapy

Christiana Care Health Services

Status: Completed

Conditions: Depressive Symptoms; Anxiety States, Neurotic

Treatments: Behavioral: Continuous Client Feedback; Behavioral: Continuous Self Feedback

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02656641

35156

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study will assess the effects of client feedback, using the Patient Health Questionnaire - 9 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item Scale, on depression and anxiety in individuals undergoing brief psychotherapy. Client feedback allows therapists to monitor treatment progress in real time. Identifying an easily accessible treatment intervention, which utilizes commonly used scales, that potentially enhances the effect of brief psychotherapy and improves treatment outcomes is a valuable endeavor with clear implications for therapy practices. It is hypothesized that clients who complete these scales each session will show greater symptom improvement than clients who do not complete the scales.

Enrollment: 81 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 64 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, or Adjustment Disorder

Exclusion criteria

• Require a higher level of care than brief psychotherapy, or have been diagnosed with an intellectual disability, personality disorder, substance use disorder, or major medical illness

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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81 participants in 3 patient groups

Control

No Intervention group

Description:

Clients will complete symptom and quality of life scales before their first session and before their last or tenth session, whichever occurs first. Clients will not complete any scales during other sessions.

Continuous Client Feedback

Experimental group

Description:

Clients will complete symptom and quality of life scales before their first session and before their last or tenth session, whichever occurs first. Clients will then complete symptoms scales, specifically the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item Scale before each other session. The treating clinician will review and discuss their results and at the beginning of each session.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Continuous Client Feedback

Continuous Self Feedback

Experimental group

Description:

Clients will complete symptom and quality of life scales before their first session and before their last or tenth session, whichever occurs first. Clients will then complete symptoms scales, specifically the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item Scale before each other session. The treating clinician will not have access to these results.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Continuous Self Feedback