A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Smartphone-based Application for the Treatment of Anxiety

Overview

Journal Psychother Res

Publisher Routledge

Specialties Pharmacology
Psychiatry
Psychology

Date 2020 Jul 15

PMID 32662323

Citations 20

Authors

Michelle G Newman

Nicholas C Jacobson

Gavin N Rackoff

Megan Jones Bell

C Barr Taylor

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is prevalent among college students. Smartphone-based interventions may be a low-cost treatment method. College students with self-reported GAD were randomized to receive smartphone-based guided self-help ( = 50), or no treatment ( = 50). Post-treatment and six-month follow-up outcomes included the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-Short Form Stress Subscale (DASS Stress), the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ-11), and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Trait (STAI-T), as well as diagnostic status assessed by the GAD-Questionnaire, 4th edition. From pre- to post-treatment, participants who received guided self-help (vs. no treatment) experienced significantly greater reductions on the DASS Stress ( = -0.408) and a greater probability of remission from GAD ( = -0.445). There was no significant between-group difference in change on the PSWQ-11 ( = -0.208) or STAI-T ( = -0.114). From post to six-month follow-up there was no significant loss of gains on DASS Stress scores ( = -0.141) and of those who had remitted, 78.6% remained remitted. Yet rates of remitted participants no longer differed significantly between conditions at follow-up (= -0.229). Smartphone-based interventions may be efficacious in treating some aspects of GAD. Methods for improving symptom reduction and long-term outcome are discussed.

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