The ANU WellBeing study: a protocol for a quasi-factorial randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of an Internet support group and an automated Internet intervention for depression.
BACKGROUND
Recent projections suggest that by the year 2030 depression will be the primary cause of disease burden among developed countries. Delivery of accessible consumer-focused evidenced-based services may be an important element in reducing this burden. Many consumers report a preference for self-help modes of delivery. The Internet offers a promising modality for delivering such services and there is now evidence that automated professionally developed self-help psychological interventions can be effective. By contrast, despite their popularity, there is little evidence as to the effectiveness of Internet support groups which provide peer-to-peer mutual support.


METHODS
Members of the community with elevated psychological distress were randomised to receive one of the following: (1) Internet Support Group (ISG) intervention, (2) a multi-module automated psychoeducational and skills Internet Training Program (ITP), (3) a combination of the ISG and ITP, or (4) an Internet Attention Control website (IAC) comprising health and wellbeing information and question and answer modules. Each intervention was 12 weeks long. Assessments were conducted at baseline, post-intervention, 6 and 12 months to examine depressive symptoms, social support, self-esteem, quality of life, depression literacy, stigma and help-seeking for depression. Participants were recruited through a screening postal survey sent to 70,000 Australians aged 18 to 65 years randomly selected from four rural and four metropolitan regions in Australia.


CONCLUSIONS
To our knowledge this study is the first randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of a depression ISG.


BACKGROUND
Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN65657330.
Griffiths
Kathleen M
KM
Centre for Mental Health Research, School of Health & Psychological Sciences, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, The Australian National University, Australia. Kathy.Griffiths@anu.edu.au
Crisp
Dimity
D
Christensen
Helen
H
Mackinnon
Andrew J
AJ
Bennett
Kylie
K
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D034742:Electronic Mail / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods; D011788:Quality of Life; D019114:Remote Consultation / Q000379:methods*; D012649:Self Concept; D012657:Self-Help Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013813:Therapy, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D065228:Non-Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic