Blended Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Versus Face-to-face Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Older Adults With Anxiety Symptoms in Primary Care: Pragmatic Single-blind Cluster Randomized Trial (Preprint)

Abstract

Anxiety symptoms in older adults are prevalent and disabling but often go untreated. Most trials on psychological interventions for anxiety in later life have examined the effectiveness of face-to-face cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). To bridge the current treatment gap, other treatment approaches and delivery formats should also be evaluated.

This study is the first to examine the effectiveness of a brief blended acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) intervention for older adults with anxiety symptoms, compared with a face-to-face CBT intervention.

Adults aged between 55-75 years (n=314) with mild to moderately severe anxiety symptoms were recruited from general practices and cluster randomized to either blended ACT or face-to-face CBT. Assessments were performed at baseline (T0), posttreatment (T1), and at 6- and 12-month follow-ups (T2 and T3, respectively). The primary outcome was anxiety symptom severity (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7). Secondary outcomes were positive mental health, depression symptom severity, functional impairment, presence of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders V anxiety disorders, and treatment satisfaction.

Conditions did not differ significantly regarding changes in anxiety symptom severity during the study period (T0-T1: B=.18, <i>P</i>=.73; T1-T2: B=−.63, <i>P</i>=.26; T1-T3: B=−.33, <i>P</i>=.59). Large reductions in anxiety symptom severity (Cohen <i>d</i>≥0.96) were found in both conditions post treatment, and these were maintained at the 12-month follow-up. The rates of clinically significant changes in anxiety symptoms were also not different for the blended ACT group and CBT group (χ²₁=0.2, <i>P</i>=.68). Regarding secondary outcomes, long-term effects on positive mental health were significantly stronger in the blended ACT group (B=.27, <i>P</i>=.03, Cohen <i>d</i>=0.29), and treatment satisfaction was significantly higher for blended ACT than CBT (B=3.19, <i>P</i>&lt;.001, Cohen <i>d</i>=0.78). No other differences between the conditions were observed in the secondary outcomes.

The results show that blended ACT is a valuable treatment alternative to CBT for anxiety in later life.

Netherlands Trial Register TRIAL NL6131 (NTR6270); https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/6131