The effects of a telenursing scheduled intervention of brief behavioral activation therapy on depression and anxiety symptoms of patients with mixed depression and anxiety disorder: A randomized controlled trial

Background

Although many studies have been conducted on the efficacy of behavioral activation in depression, few studies have evaluated the efficacy of this treatment in patients with mixed depression and anxiety through telecare.

Aim

To determine the effects of a telenursing scheduled intervention of brief behavioral activation therapy on depression and anxiety symptoms of patients with mixed anxiety and depression disorder (MADD).

Design

A randomized controlled trial.

Methods

Thirty subjects with MADD were randomly assigned to an intervention group and a control group. The eight-session person-centered behavioral activation intervention was delivered twice weekly via tele-nursing. Depression and anxiety symptom severity were assessed using the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale at baseline, at the end, and one month after the intervention. Data were analyzed by independent t-tests, chi-square tests, and repeated-measures tests using SPSS version 24.

Results

The results showed that after the implementation of the intervention, the depression score in the intervention group decreased from 19.86 (±8.56) to 17.21 (±6.71). In contrast, depression scores increased from 18.67 (±9.72) to 19.47 (±7.33) in the control group. For anxiety symptoms, there was a clinically significant decrease after the intervention only in the intervention group.

Conclusion

The results showed the effects of brief behavioral activation tele-nursing on a non-significant reduction in depression symptoms and a significant clinical reduction in anxiety symptoms after the intervention in MADD.