Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM) and Internet Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (iCBT) for Depression- A Randomised Controlled Trial

A Randomised Controlled Trial Comparing Internet Based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Major Depressive Disorder Plus a Cognitive Bias Modification Intervention (OxIGen) vs. Internet Based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Major Depressive Disorder vs. a Waitlist Control on Symptoms of Depression and Negative Interpretation Bias.

Cognitive accounts of depression and anxiety emphasize the importance of cognitive biases in the maintenance of disorders. One specific bias is the interpretation of ambiguous information. A negative interpretation bias is defined as a systematic tendency to interpret potentially ambiguous information in a negative rather than benign way and this bias has been associated with symptoms of depression. Research has led to the recent development of computerized cognitive bias modification (CBM) techniques to augment such biases and it has been suggested that CBM techniques may be useful as an adjunct to current treatments to enhance maintenance of treatment gains and minimize relapse rates. The fact that CBM procedures lend themselves to being delivered remotely, are cost-effective, and can be self-paced in ways that suit the patient make them an ideal candidate for inclusion in the Internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT) programs currently offered through St. Vincent's Hospital and the University of New South Wales. Therefore, the primary aim of the current trial is to evaluate the acceptability and effectiveness of adding CBM procedures to the existing iCBT modules offered through St. Vincent's Hospital and the University of New South Wales. It is expected that iCBT + CBM will result in superior treatment outcomes as indexed by a standardized clinical battery.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Depression
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Waitlist Control; Other: OxIGen + iCBT

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 69
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Australia
  • New South Wales
    • Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia, 2010
      • St. Vincent's Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 65 years (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Meet Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association - 4th edition (DSM-IV) criteria for Major Depressive Disorder,
• Internet access + printer access,
• Australian resident,
• Fluent in written and spoken English.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Current substance abuse/dependence,
• Psychotic mental illness (Bipolar or Schizophrenia),
• Current or planned psychological treatment during study duration,
• Change in medication during last 1 month or intended change during study duration,
• Use of Benzodiazepines,
• Suicidal.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: TREATMENT
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Interventional Model: PARALLEL
• Masking: NONE

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
OTHER: Group 2; Waitlist control	Other: Waitlist Control; Waitlist will receive iCBT at week 11
EXPERIMENTAL: Group 1; CBM intervention (OxIGen) plus Internet based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for depression	Other: OxIGen + iCBT; OxIGen is an Internet-based intervention taking place over 1 week followed by iCBT, an Internet-based treatment for depression taking place over 10 weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Change in score on the Beck Depression Inventory - second edition (BDI-II).	Administered at baseline, post-intervention (1 week), and post treatment (iCBT; 11 weeks)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Change on the Scrambled Sentences Task (SST)- electronic version.	Administered at baseline, post-intervention (1 week).
Change on Prospective Imagery Test (PIT).	Administered at baseline, post-intervention (1 week).
Change on the Kessler-10 (K10).	Administered at baseline, before each iCBT lesson, and post-treatment (week 11).
Change on WHO Disability Assessment Scale (WHO-DAS).	Administered baseline and post-treatment (iCBT; 11 weeks).
Change on the Repetitive Thinking Questionnaire (RTQ).	Administered at baseline, post intervention (week 1), and post-treatment (iCBT; 11 weeks).
Change on the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI).	Administered at baseline, post intervention (week 1), and post-treatment (iCBT; 11 weeks).
Change on the Ambiguous Sentence Task (AST).	Administered at baseline and post-intervention (week 1).
Change in score on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9).	Administered at baseline, post intervention (week 1), and post treatment (week 11).

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Alishia Williams
• Collaborators: The University of New South Wales
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Gavin Andrews, AO, MD, St. Vincent's Hospital, The University of New South Wales; Principal Investigator: Alishia Williams, PhD; MPsychol(Clinical), St. Vincent's Hospital, The University of New South Wales

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: December 1, 2011
• Primary Completion (ACTUAL): August 1, 2012
• Study Completion (ACTUAL): August 1, 2012

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 5, 2011
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 6, 2011
• First Posted (ESTIMATE): December 8, 2011

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (ESTIMATE): September 20, 2012
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 18, 2012
• Last Verified: September 1, 2012

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Mental Disorders; Mood Disorders; Depression; Depressive Disorder
• Other Study ID Numbers: 11/055; ACTRN12611001221943 (REGISTRY: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry)