title: Effects of a transdiagnostic unguided Internet intervention ('velibra') for anxiety disorders in primary care: results of a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: Internet-based cognitive-behavioural treatment (ICBT) for anxiety disorders has shown some promise, but no study has yet examined unguided ICBT in primary care. This randomized controlled trial (RCT) investigated whether a transdiagnostic, unguided ICBT programme for anxiety disorders is effective in primary care settings, after a face-to-face consultation with a physician (MD). We hypothesized that care as usual (CAU) plus unguided ICBT would be superior to CAU in reducing anxiety and related symptoms among patients with social anxiety disorder (SAD), panic disorder with or without agoraphobia (PDA) and/or generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
  
  
  
  Adults (n = 139) with at least one of these anxiety disorders, as reported by their MD and confirmed by a structured diagnostic interview, were randomized. Unguided ICBT was provided by a novel transdiagnostic ICBT programme ('velibra'). Primary outcomes were generic measures, such as anxiety and depression symptom severity, and diagnostic status at post-treatment (9 weeks). Secondary outcomes included anxiety disorder-specific measures, quality of life, treatment adherence, satisfaction, and general psychiatric symptomatology at follow-up (6 months after randomization).
  
  
  
  CAU plus unguided ICBT was more effective than CAU at post-treatment, with small to medium between-group effect sizes on primary (Cohen's d = 0.41-0.47) and secondary (Cohen's d = 0.16-0.61) outcomes. Treatment gains were maintained at follow-up. In the treatment group, 28.2% of those with a SAD diagnosis, 38.3% with a PDA diagnosis, and 44.8% with a GAD diagnosis at pretreatment no longer fulfilled diagnostic criteria at post-treatment.
  
  
  
  The unguided ICBT intervention examined is effective for anxiety disorders when delivered in primary care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy,University of Bern,Bern,Switzerland.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy,University of Bern,Bern,Switzerland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Urech
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy,University of Bern,Bern,Switzerland.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Krieger
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy,University of Bern,Bern,Switzerland.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Stolz
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy,University of Bern,Bern,Switzerland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schulz
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy,University of Bern,Bern,Switzerland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vincent
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy,University of Bern,Bern,Switzerland.
authors.forename: C T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Moser
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy,University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf,Hamburg,Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moritz
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology,City University,London,UK.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Meyer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Anxiety; Internet; cognitive-behaviour therapy; primary care; transdiagnostic treatments