title: Internet-delivered acceptance-based behaviour therapy for generalized anxiety disorder: A randomized controlled trial.
abstract: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a disabling condition which can be treated with cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT). The present study tested the effects of therapist-guided internet-delivered acceptance-based behaviour therapy on symptoms of GAD and quality of life. An audio CD with acceptance and mindfulness exercises and a separate workbook were also included in the treatment. Participants diagnosed with GAD (N = 103) were randomly allocated to immediate therapist-guided internet-delivered acceptance-based behaviour therapy or to a waiting-list control condition. A six month follow-up was also included. Results using hierarchical linear modelling showed moderate to large effects on symptoms of GAD (Cohen's d = 0.70 to 0.98), moderate effects on depressive symptoms (Cohen's d = 0.51 to 0.56), and no effect on quality of life. Follow-up data showed maintained effects. While there was a 20% dropout rate, sensitivity analyses showed that dropouts did not differ in their degree of change during treatment. To conclude, our study suggests that internet-delivered acceptance-based behaviour therapy can be effective in reducing the symptoms of GAD.
authors.affiliation: Psykologpartners, Private Practice, Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Mats
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dahlin
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden; Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address: Gerhard.Andersson@liu.se.
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Kristoffer
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Magnusson
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sjögren
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Håkansson
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Magnus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pettersson
authors.affiliation: Region Östergötland, Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Åsa
authors.initials: Å
authors.lastname: Kadowaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands; EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Pim
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cuijpers
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Carlbring
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D001519:Behavior; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods; D003863:Depression / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D064866:Mindfulness / Q000379:methods; D011788:Quality of Life; D013548:Sweden; D013813:Therapy, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Acceptance; Generalized anxiety disorder; Internet-based behaviour therapy; Mindfulness; Randomized controlled trial