Objectives

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of an online self-help intervention for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Our primary outcomes were generalized anxiety symptoms, measured using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder – 7 (GAD-7; Spitzer et al., 2006), and wellbeing based on the World Health Organization Wellbeing Index - 5 (WHO-5; Topp et al., 2015).

Methods

A total of 156 German-speaking patients aged 18 to 65 with a diagnosis of GAD and internet access were included in this randomized controlled trial. The intervention group (N = 78) received access to a 12-week online self-help program, while the waitlist control group (N = 78) received access after the 12-week waiting period.

Results

The intervention group showed a significant improvement in generalized anxiety symptoms compared to the control group (t(df = 123.73) = 4.52, p < .001) with a large effect size (d = 0.88, 95 %-CI: 0.50; 1.26). Additionally, the intervention group demonstrated a significant increase in wellbeing compared to the control group (t(df = 87,86) = 3.48, p < .001), with a moderate effect size (d = 0.62, 95 % CI: 0.27; 0.98). However, no significant effects were observed for secondary outcomes of functional impairments, work productivity, mental health literacy, and healthcare demands. For exploratory outcomes, improvement was found for anxiety and worry symptoms.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that an online-based self-help intervention effectively reduces GAD symptoms and improves overall wellbeing. Future research should explore the long-term effects of this intervention and investigate potential mechanisms underlying its efficacy.

中文翻译：

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针对广泛性焦虑症患者的在线自助计划的评估——一项随机对照试验

目标

本研究旨在评估在线自助干预对广泛性焦虑症（GAD）的效果。我们的主要结果是广泛性焦虑症状，使用广泛性焦虑症 – 7 (GAD-7; Spitzer et al., 2006) 进行测量，以及基于世界卫生组织幸福指数 – 5 (WHO-5; Topp et al., 2006) 的幸福感。 ，2015）。

方法

这项随机对照试验共纳入了 156 名年龄在 18 岁至 65 岁之间、诊断为广泛性焦虑症且能够上网的德语患者。干预组 ( N  = 78) 获得了为期 12 周的在线自助计划的访问权限，而候补名单对照组 ( N  = 78) 在 12 周的等待期后获得了访问权限。

结果

与对照组相比，干预组的广泛性焦虑症状显着改善（t ( df  = 123.73) = 4.52，p  < .001），且效应量较大（d  = 0.88，95 %-CI：0.50；1.26） 。此外，与对照组相比，干预组的幸福感显着提高（t ( df  = 87,86) = 3.48，p  < .001），且效果适中（d  = 0.62，95 % CI：0.27； 0.98）。然而，对于功能障碍、工作生产力、心理健康素养和医疗保健需求等次要结果，没有观察到显着影响。对于探索性结果，发现焦虑和担忧症状有所改善。

结论

这些发现表明，基于在线的自助干预可以有效减少广泛性焦虑症症状并改善整体健康。未来的研究应该探索这种干预措施的长期影响，并调查其功效背后的潜在机制。