Disseminating a Waitlist Treatment for Anxiety With Velibra

NCT ID: NCT03913676

Last Updated: 2020-11-12

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

TERMINATED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

11 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2019-11-05

Study Completion Date

2020-03-02

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a gold standard treatment for a wide spectrum of anxiety-related concerns. However, long waitlist times can serve as a substantial barrier to those seeking treatment. Internet delivered psychotherapy, such as internet-based CBT (I-CBT) may present an affordable option for disseminating empirically supported treatments. Velibra, an web-based I-CBT intervention, has shown initial promise in treating anxiety disorders.

Velibra has been used to treat anxiety-related disorders in European samples with participants recruited from general practitioner's offices and diagnosed with a specific subset of anxiety disorders. While these effects are encouraging, additional research is needed toevaluate whether Velibra could be implemented in a community mental health clinic in the U.S. Specifically, if Velibra could be successfully implemented within the context of mental health clinic waitlists, it may be capable of providing evidence-based treatment to larger groups of people at a faster rate than mental health clinics can structurally support.

The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility of implementing Velibra into an American community clinic waitlist. We plan to offer free access to the Velibra program to members of the Anxiety and Stress Clinic (ASC) waitlist at the University of Texas at Austin experiencing anxiety. We will evaluate interest in the program, user data from the program, and opinions of the program post-completion. We hypothesize ASC patients will find utility in Velibra's ability to offer them mental health resources faster than the traditional waitlist can provide.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

Waitlist Recruitment. Participants will be recruited directly from the Anxiety and Stress Clinic's waitlist. Consistent with our existing clinic screening procedures, individuals added to our waitlist meeting the following criteria will be invited to participate in this study:

1. They have not experienced significant suicidal ideation in the past week.
2. They do not meet for a bipolar I diagnosis without current utilization of stabilizing medications.
3. They are not experiencing psychotic symptoms.

Upon meeting these criteria and being added to the clinic waitlist, patients will be asked if they would like to participate in our feasibility trial. Patients already on the waitlist at the time of study approval will also be contacted and offered participation. If interested in participating, patients will be asked to complete a digital informed consent via UT Qualtrics or Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap), secure, online assessment tools designed to collect self-report questionnaire data for research studies.

Baseline Survey. Following informed consent, participants will complete a baseline survey via UT Qualtrics or REDCap. This survey will include measures of anxiety and other internalizing symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire, PHQ-9; Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item Scale, GAD-7; Overall Anxiety Severity and Impairment Scale, OASIS). Other questions will evaluate participants' current medication/treatment status (Treatment/Medication Status questions). More details about these questionnaires included below. Following completion of the baseline survey, participants will receive a voucher for free access to Velibra.

Velibra Program. All treatment will be provided via the Velibra website: https://velibra.broca.io/en/registration/voucher. While the Velibra treatment is only six weeks long, participants will have free access to the program for 24 weeks. They can access this website as often as they would like. The Velibra program is self-guided, so participants determine how often they access the material (the program encourages participants to complete one of six sessions per week for six weeks).

Velibra Treatment. Velibra is grounded in a cognitive-behavioral theoretical orientation and consists of six treatment modules representing different skills and therapeutic techniques. Each of the first five modules is followed by a "training session", and contains activities related to training attention biases (CBM-I). All sessions plus trainings are designed to be completed in 1 - 2 hours, depending on the user's reading speed, interest, motivation, and individual path through the program. Modules are organized as simulated dialogues in which the program explains and illustrates concepts and techniques, engages the user in exercises, and continuously asks users to respond by selecting from response options. Subsequent content is then tailored to the users' responses, resulting in a simulated conversational flow. All modules are accompanied by illustrations (e.g., drawings, photographs, flash animations). The modules cover a variety of therapeutic content that is broadly consistent with a cognitive-behavioral perspective, although the program is not restricted to one CBT manual. Instead, the program provides a variety of relevant therapeutic approaches and fits within the broad array of contemporary CBT. The modules' theoretical rationale and content draws from therapeutic strategies: (1) Cognitive Modification, (2) Mindfulness, Acceptance, and Relaxation techniques (4) Exposure, (5) Interpersonal Skills, (6) Psychoeducation and Relapse Prevention.

Throughout participants' use of the program, we will collect user data on Velibra's secure, online server (amount of time spent in the program, number of completed modules, number of training sessions completed between modules).

Post-Treatment Survey. Six weeks after the original voucher send date, participants will be asked to complete a second survey via UT Qualtrics or REDCap. This survey will include identical symptom measures (PHQ-9; GAD-7; OASIS) and will contain a series of questions about Anxiety and Stress Clinic treatment interest and Velibra dropout (Participation Questions). Lastly, the survey will include questions about current medication/treatment status (Treatment/Medication Status Questions) as well as questions concerning user satisfaction (SUS), credibility of treatment (CSQ-8), and other questions for suggestions (Suggestions).

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Anxiety

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

NA

Intervention Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Velibra

All treatment will be provided via the Velibra website: https://velibra.broca.io/en/registration/voucher. While the Velibra treatment is only six weeks long, participants will have free access to the program for 24 weeks. They can access this website as often as they would like. The Velibra program is self-guided, so participants determine how often they access the material (the program encourages participants to complete one of six sessions per week for six weeks).

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Velibra

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Velibra is grounded in a cognitive-behavioral theoretical orientation and consists of six treatment modules representing different skills and therapeutic techniques. Each of the first five modules is followed by a "training session", and contains activities related to training attention biases (CBM-I). All sessions plus trainings are designed to be completed in 1 - 2 hours, depending on the user's reading speed, interest, motivation, and individual path through the program. The modules cover a variety of therapeutic content that is broadly consistent with a cognitive-behavioral perspective. The modules' content draws from therapeutic strategies: (1) Cognitive Modification, (2) Mindfulness, Acceptance, and Relaxation techniques (4) Exposure, (5) Interpersonal Skills, (6) Psychoeducation and Relapse Prevention.

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Velibra

Velibra is grounded in a cognitive-behavioral theoretical orientation and consists of six treatment modules representing different skills and therapeutic techniques. Each of the first five modules is followed by a "training session", and contains activities related to training attention biases (CBM-I). All sessions plus trainings are designed to be completed in 1 - 2 hours, depending on the user's reading speed, interest, motivation, and individual path through the program. The modules cover a variety of therapeutic content that is broadly consistent with a cognitive-behavioral perspective. The modules' content draws from therapeutic strategies: (1) Cognitive Modification, (2) Mindfulness, Acceptance, and Relaxation techniques (4) Exposure, (5) Interpersonal Skills, (6) Psychoeducation and Relapse Prevention.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* Currently on the Anxiety and Stress Clinic waitlist
* At least 18 years old
* Fluent in English
* Have access to a computer or web device

Exclusion Criteria

* Active suicidal ideation with intent to harm oneself in the past week (e.g., endorses "Yes" toC-SSRS item 4 or higher).
* A formal diagnosis of Bipolar I disorder without current utilization of stabilizing medications.
* Present or past psychosis
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

University of Texas at Austin

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Jasper A. Smits

Professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Jasper A.J. Smits, Ph.D.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Texas at Austin

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

University of Texas at Austin

Austin, Texas, United States

Site Status

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

United States

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Berger T, Urech A, Krieger T, Stolz T, Schulz A, Vincent A, Moser CT, Moritz S, Meyer B. Effects of a transdiagnostic unguided Internet intervention ('velibra') for anxiety disorders in primary care: results of a randomized controlled trial. Psychol Med. 2017 Jan;47(1):67-80. doi: 10.1017/S0033291716002270. Epub 2016 Sep 22.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 27655039 (View on PubMed)

Brooke, J. (1996). SUS-A quick and dirty usability scale. Usability Evaluation in Industry, 189(194), 4-7.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JB. The PHQ-9: validity of a brief depression severity measure. J Gen Intern Med. 2001 Sep;16(9):606-13. doi: 10.1046/j.1525-1497.2001.016009606.x.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 11556941 (View on PubMed)

Larsen DL, Attkisson CC, Hargreaves WA, Nguyen TD. Assessment of client/patient satisfaction: development of a general scale. Eval Program Plann. 1979;2(3):197-207. doi: 10.1016/0149-7189(79)90094-6. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 10245370 (View on PubMed)

Norman SB, Cissell SH, Means-Christensen AJ, Stein MB. Development and validation of an Overall Anxiety Severity And Impairment Scale (OASIS). Depress Anxiety. 2006;23(4):245-9. doi: 10.1002/da.20182.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16688739 (View on PubMed)

Posner K, Brown GK, Stanley B, Brent DA, Yershova KV, Oquendo MA, Currier GW, Melvin GA, Greenhill L, Shen S, Mann JJ. The Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale: initial validity and internal consistency findings from three multisite studies with adolescents and adults. Am J Psychiatry. 2011 Dec;168(12):1266-77. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2011.10111704.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22193671 (View on PubMed)

Priester MA, Browne T, Iachini A, Clone S, DeHart D, Seay KD. Treatment Access Barriers and Disparities Among Individuals with Co-Occurring Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders: An Integrative Literature Review. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2016 Feb;61:47-59. doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2015.09.006. Epub 2015 Oct 31.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 26531892 (View on PubMed)

Spitzer RL, Kroenke K, Williams JB, Lowe B. A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: the GAD-7. Arch Intern Med. 2006 May 22;166(10):1092-7. doi: 10.1001/archinte.166.10.1092.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16717171 (View on PubMed)

Hofmann SG, Smits JA. Cognitive-behavioral therapy for adult anxiety disorders: a meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials. J Clin Psychiatry. 2008 Apr;69(4):621-32. doi: 10.4088/jcp.v69n0415.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 18363421 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

2018-11-0128

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id