Effectiveness of a guided multicomponent internet and mobile gratitude training program - A pragmatic randomized controlled trial

IF 3.6 2区医学 Q1 HEALTH CARE SCIENCES & SERVICES

Internet Interventions-The Application of Information Technology in Mental and Behavioural Health Pub Date : 2024-11-12 DOI:10.1016/j.invent.2024.100787

Dirk Lehr , Henning Freund , Bernhard Sieland , Lina Kalon , Matthias Berking , Heleen Riper , David Daniel Ebert

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objective

To investigate the effectiveness of a guided, internet- and smartphone-based gratitude intervention on the transdiagnostic risk-factor ‘repetitive negative thinking’. The multicomponent intervention integrates a variety of gratitude exercises, targeting the cognitive, emotional and behavioural facets of gratitude.

Method

Two hundred adults with pronounced repetitive negative thinking were recruited from the general population. Participants were randomly assigned to either a four-session guided gratitude intervention (n = 100) or waiting list (n = 100). The primary outcome was repetitive negative thinking three months after randomization, with exploratory assessments at six weeks and six months, the latter just for participants in the intervention group.

Results

Following the intention-to-treat principle, by analyses of covariance (ANCOVA), the gratitude intervention group exhibited significantly lower levels of repetitive negative thinking than controls at three months, with d = 0.66, 95 % CI [0.37, 0.94] maintained at six-month follow-up. Significant and meaningful beneficial effects were observed in symptoms of depression (d = 0.42) and generalized anxiety (d = 0.38). These effects were notably stronger in intervention completers who finished at least three sessions.

Conclusions

Results suggest that a multicomponent gratitude intervention is effective at reducing repetitive negative thinking. Multicomponent interventions may be a next step needed to fully realize the potential of gratitude interventions. Such interventions could expand the repertoire of transdiagnostic interventions, especially for repetitive negative thinking. Furthermore, due to its positive connotations, gratitude is a candidate for an indirect intervention aimed at reducing the burden of depression in the general population.

Trial registration

The study is registered in the German Clinical Trial Register (approved primary register of the WHO) as DRKS00006825. The trial protocol can be assessed at: https://www.drks.de/

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指导性多成分互联网和移动感恩培训计划的效果--实用随机对照试验

目的研究基于互联网和智能手机的指导性感恩干预对跨诊断风险因素 "重复性消极思维 "的效果。方法从普通人群中招募了 200 名有明显重复性消极思维的成年人。参与者被随机分配到为期四节的引导式感恩干预（100 人）或等待名单（100 人）中。结果根据意向治疗原则，通过协方差分析（ANCOVA），感恩干预组在三个月后的重复性消极思维水平明显低于对照组，在六个月的随访中，d = 0.66，95 % CI [0.37, 0.94]保持不变。在抑郁症状（d = 0.42）和广泛焦虑症状（d = 0.38）方面，观察到了显著而有意义的有益效果。结论结果表明，多成分感恩干预能有效减少重复性消极思维。多成分干预可能是充分发挥感恩干预潜力所需的下一步。这种干预可以扩大跨诊断干预的范围，尤其是针对重复性消极思维的干预。此外，由于其积极的内涵，感恩也是旨在减轻普通人群抑郁负担的间接干预措施的候选对象。试验注册该研究已在德国临床试验注册中心（世界卫生组织批准的一级注册中心）注册，注册号为 DRKS00006825。试验方案可在以下网址进行评估： https://www.drks.de/

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Internet Interventions-The Application of Information Technology in Mental and Behavioural Health Medicine-Health Informatics

CiteScore

6.50

自引率

9.30%

发文量

审稿时长

6 weeks

期刊介绍： Official Journal of the European Society for Research on Internet Interventions (ESRII) and the International Society for Research on Internet Interventions (ISRII). The aim of Internet Interventions is to publish scientific, peer-reviewed, high-impact research on Internet interventions and related areas. Internet Interventions welcomes papers on the following subjects: • Intervention studies targeting the promotion of mental health and featuring the Internet and/or technologies using the Internet as an underlying technology, e.g. computers, smartphone devices, tablets, sensors • Implementation and dissemination of Internet interventions • Integration of Internet interventions into existing systems of care • Descriptions of development and deployment infrastructures • Internet intervention methodology and theory papers • Internet-based epidemiology • Descriptions of new Internet-based technologies and experiments with clinical applications • Economics of internet interventions (cost-effectiveness) • Health care policy and Internet interventions • The role of culture in Internet intervention • Internet psychometrics • Ethical issues pertaining to Internet interventions and measurements • Human-computer interaction and usability research with clinical implications • Systematic reviews and meta-analysis on Internet interventions