title: A transdiagnostic internet-based maintenance treatment enhances the stability of outcome after inpatient cognitive behavioral therapy: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  High relapse rates following acute treatment for common mental health disorders support the importance of developing maintenance phase interventions. Internet-based interventions have been effective for a broad range of mental disorders, but less is known about their potential to enhance long-term outcomes of traditional face-to-face therapy. Therefore, the goal of the present study was to evaluate a transdiagnostic Internet-based maintenance treatment (TIMT) with the purpose of fostering long-term effects of inpatient psychotherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this pragmatic randomized controlled trial, a sample of 400 inpatients with affective, neurotic, and/or behavioral disorders was assigned to either 12 weeks of TIMT + treatment as usual (TAU) or to TAU-only following hospital discharge. TIMT consists of a self-management module, asynchronous patient-coach communication, online patient support group, and online-based monitoring of psychopathological symptoms. Self-ratings of psychopathological symptoms were conducted at the beginning of inpatient treatment (t1), at discharge from inpatient treatment/start of TIMT (t2), and at 3-month (t3) and 12-month follow-ups (t4).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The TIMT + TAU group was superior to the TAU-only group with regard to differences in change of general psychopathological symptom severity from discharge to 3- and 12-month follow-up. Moreover, participants of the TIMT + TAU group showed less frequent symptom deteriorations and were more often in remission/recovery than controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TIMT effectively enhances long-term outcome of inpatient psychotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany. david.ebert@staff.uni-marburg.de
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ebert
authors.forename: Torsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tarnowski
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gollwitzer
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sieland
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Berking
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000523:psychology; D020407:Internet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome