Researchers at University of Regina Report New Data on Anxiety Disorders (An Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression and Anxiety Among Clients Referred and Funded by Insurance Companies Compared With Those Who Are …)

2020 OCT 13 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Health & Medicine Daily -- Investigators discuss new findings in Mental Health Diseases and Conditions - Anxiety Disorders. According to news reporting originating from Regina, Canada, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Anxiety and depression are leading causes of disability but are often undertreated. Internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy (ICBT) improves access to treatment by overcoming barriers to obtaining care.”

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from the University of Regina, “ICBT has been found to be efficacious in research trials and routine care, but there is limited research of ICBT when it is recommended and funded by insurance companies for clients on or recently in receipt of disability benefits or accommodations. The aim of this study was to examine ICBT engagement, treatment satisfaction, and effectiveness among individuals involved with 2 insurance companies. The 2 samples were benchmarked against published outcomes from a publicly funded (PF) ICBT clinic. Individuals who were on or recently in receipt of disability benefits and were either insurance company (IC) employees (n=21) or IC plan members (n=19) were referred to ICBT funded by the respective insurance companies. Outcomes were benchmarked against outcomes of ICBT obtained in a PF ICBT clinic, with clients in the clinic divided into those who reported no involvement with insurance companies (n=414) and those who were on short-term disability (n=44). All clients received the same 8-week, therapist-assisted, transdiagnostic ICBT course targeting anxiety and depression. Engagement was assessed using completion rates, log-ins, and emails exchanged. Treatment satisfaction was assessed posttreatment. Depression, anxiety, and disability measures were administered pretreatment, posttreatment, and at 3 months. All samples showed high levels of ICBT engagement and treatment satisfaction. IC employees experienced significant improvement at posttreatment (depression d=0.77; anxiety d=1.13; and disability d=0.91) with outcomes maintained at 3 months. IC plan members, who notably had greater pretreatment disability than the other samples, experienced significant moderate effects at posttreatment (depression d=0.58; anxiety d=0.54; and disability d=0.60), but gains were not maintained at 3 months. Effect sizes at posttreatment in both IC samples were significantly smaller than in the PF sample who reported no insurance benefits (depression d=1.14 and anxiety d=1.30) and the PF sample who reported having short-term disability benefits (depression d=0.95 and anxiety d=1.07). No difference was seen in effect sizes among IC employees and the PF samples on disability. However, IC plan members experienced significantly smaller effects on disability d=0.60) compared with the PF sample with no disability benefits d=0.90) and those on short-term disability benefits d=0.94). Many clients referred and funded by insurance companies were engaged with ICBT and found it acceptable and effective. however, were not maintained among those with very high levels of pretreatment disability. Small sample sizes in the IC groups are a limitation.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Directions for research related to ICBT funded by insurance companies have been described.”

For more information on this research see: An Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression and Anxiety Among Clients Referred and Funded by Insurance Companies Compared With Those Who Are Publicly Funded: Longitudinal Observational Study. Jmir Mental Health, 2020;7(2):e16005.

The news editors report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Vanessa Peynenburg, Dept. of Psychology, University of Regina, Regina, SK, Canada. Additional authors for this research include Heather D. Hadjistavropoulos, Swati Mehta, Kelly Adlam, Marcie Nugent, Kirsten M. Gullickson, Nickolai Titov and Blake Dear.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.2196/16005. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

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