Unified Protocol for the Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders: Protocol Development and Initial Outcome Data

Abstract

Two studies present preliminary support for the Unified Protocol (UP), a transdiagnostic, emotion-focused cognitive-behavioral treatment developed to be applicable across the emotional disorders. Study 1 presents data from an open clinical trial of the initial version of the UP in a heterogeneous clinical sample, yielding large pre- to post-treatment effect sizes across disorders on measures of DSM-IV diagnostic category severity, and medium to large effect sizes on general measures of depression and anxiety, social adjustment, and levels of negative and positive affect. Following a period of further manual development resulting in specific modifications and enhancements to core treatment components, Study 2 presents data from an additional pilot study of this revised version of the UP. Results from Study 2 demonstrated more robust treatment effect sizes and greater changes across measures of depression, anxiety, positive and negative affect, social adjustment, and quality of life. Relatively similar treatment effects were again demonstrated across a full range of anxiety and mood disorders, suggesting roughly equivalent transdiagnostic efficacy. Implications for the treatment of emotional disorders, clinical practice, and dimensional conceptualizations of psychopathology are discussed.