Emotional disorders are the most prevalent and disabling psychological disorders, often presenting comorbidly and involving high costs. Although evidence-based treatments for these disorders exist, there remains a large gap between those who need these interventions and those who actually receive them. The combination of three strategies can help overcome these barriers: the transdiagnostic perspective, the group format, and the use of technologies to deliver treatments via the Internet.
The transdiagnostic perspective makes it possible to treat different disorders with a single protocol and to improve the management of comorbid presentations. The group format reduces costs and has been shown to be comparable to the individual format. The blended format (combination of face-to-face therapy + online therapy) has advantages by facilitating treatment accessibility, reducing therapist time and dropout rates. In this study we propose for the first time to integrate the blended format with the group format to apply a transdiagnostic protocol for emotional disorders through a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Specifically, this RCT aims to study the efficacy of (1) a group transdiagnostic protocol administered in blended format versus (2) a group transdiagnostic protocol administered face-to-face. Participants will be adults who contact the Psychological Assistance Service (SAP) of the Universitat Jaume I and who meet the inclusion criteria.
An estimated 144 participants will be randomly assigned to one of the two conditions described. It is hypothesized that both treatment modalities will achieve improvements in emotional symptomatology at post-treatment and that the changes achieved will be maintained over time. It is expected that the blended protocol will show equivalent efficacy to the face-to-face protocol and that it will be more cost-effective, involving less therapist time.
Reference: UJI-B2022-54
Duration: 3 years (from 01/01/2023 to 31/12/2025)
Funding entity:
University Jaume I
Research Promotion and Knowledge Transfer Plan of the Universitat Jaume I
PI: Juana María Bretón López y Azucena García Palacios
Participating institutions:
- Universitat Jaume I
