BackgroundCognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has demonstrated efficacy and effectiveness for treating mood and anxiety disorders. Dissemination of CBT via videoconference may help improve access to treatment.ObjectiveThe present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of CBT administered via videoconference to in-person therapy for a mixed diagnostic cohort.MethodsA total of 26 primarily Caucasian clients (mean age 30 years, SD 11) who had a primary Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition text revision (DSM-IV-TR) diagnosis of a mood or anxiety disorder were randomly assigned to receive 12 sessions of CBT either in-person or via videoconference. Treatment involved individualized CBT formulations specific to the presenting diagnosis; all sessions were provided by the same therapist. Participants were recruited through a university clinic. Symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and quality of life were assessed using questionnaires before, after, and 6 weeks following treatment. Secondary outcomes at posttreatment included working alliance and client satisfaction.ResultsRetention was similar across treatment conditions; there was one more client in the videoconferencing condition at posttreatment and at follow-up. Statistical analysis using multilevel mixed effects linear regression indicated a significant reduction in client symptoms across time for symptoms of depression (P<.001, d=1.41), anxiety (P<.001, d=1.14), stress (P<.001, d=1.81), and quality of life (P<.001, d=1.17). There were no significant differences between treatment conditions regarding symptoms of depression (P=.165, d=0.37), anxiety (P=.41, d=0.22), stress (P=.15, d=0.38), or quality of life (P=.62, d=0.13). There were no significant differences in client rating of the working alliance (P=.53, one-tailed, d=–0.26), therapist ratings of the working alliance (P=.60, one-tailed, d=0.23), or client ratings of satisfaction (P=.77, one-tailed, d=–0.12). Fisher’s Exact P was not significant regarding differences in reliable change from pre- to posttreatment or from pretreatment to follow-up for symptoms of depression (P=.41, P=.26), anxiety (P=.60, P=.99), or quality of life (P=.65, P=.99) but was significant for symptoms of stress in favor of the videoconferencing condition (P=.03, P=.035). Difference between conditions regarding clinically significant change was also not observed from pre- to posttreatment or from pretreatment to follow-up for symptoms of depression (P=.67, P=.30), anxiety (P=.99, P=.99), stress (P=.19, P=.13), or quality of life (P=.99, P=.62).ConclusionsThe findings of this controlled trial indicate that CBT was effective in significantly reducing symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress and increasing quality of life in both in-person and videoconferencing conditions, with no significant differences being observed between the two.Trial RegistrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ID: ACTRN12609000819224; http://www.anzctr.org.au/ACTRN12609000819224.aspx (Archived by WebCite at http://...

Client engagement is a necessary component of psychotherapy, but it can be challenging to foster in clients with severe and complex problems. Telehealth technology influences the clinical dyad in unique ways and offers new opportunities for approaching the challenge of client engagement. In this article, we present a qualitative case study of a client with severe and complex obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) who received 40 sessions of cognitive-behavioural-based psychotherapy administered through a mix of videoconference and text-chat. The results suggest that telehealth technology may have facilitated client engagement by helping to reduce interpersonal anxiety, thus allowing the client to continue disclosing and discussing issues that were espoused in shame, guilt, and embarrassment.

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The aim of the present study was to investigate what factors are predictive of behavioural and emotional dysfunction in adolescence. A sample of 60 young people accommodated under a welfare or youth custody service order in a UK secure children’s home between 2016 and 2018 was used. Data regarding young people’s Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s) history, scores on standard assessments and factors thought to indicate behavioural and emotional dysfunction were collected from file information. Correlations and regression models were used to analyse the data. Analyses found that young people in this setting had been exposed to more ACEs than the general population. Furthermore, signs of behavioural and emotional dysfunction as a result of exposure to ACE’s appeared to be present from early adolescence. It was found that exposure to verbal and sexual abuse were the greatest predictors of involvement in risk incidents. The young person’s substance misuse habits were the best predictor of the length of stay in the secure children’s home. These findings may have policy implications and highlight the need for early interventions with young people exposed to ACE’s.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the perceptions of staff towards psychotropic Pro Re Nata (PRN) medication in a residential care setting. Design/methodology/approach Three male and seven female participants were interviewed using a semi-structured interview. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings Four themes pertaining to PRN medication emerged from the data: behaviour change, calming effect, importance of timing and perceived uniqueness. Research limitations/implications The participant group was not homogenous and findings may have been different in a more qualified cohort. This care setting may not be representative of other environments where PRN medication is administered. The findings do, however, highlight some of the challenges facing the administration of PRN medication in mental health and care settings. Practical implications The awareness of these themes is significant for improving staff knowledge, training practices and policies towards the use and administration of psychotropic PRN medication. Originality/value This is the first study to engage in a thematic analysis of staff views towards the administration of PRN medication.

Introduction: People who live in rural and remote regions often have little, if any, access to specialized mental health services. One way of addressing this issue is by providing such services via videoconference. Hence this study aimed to compare the effectiveness of psychotherapy provided in-person to via videoconference. This study is, to the author's knowledge, the largest telepsychology adult project that has been conducted in Australia.

We quantitatively investigated how susceptible university students are to engaging in activity that could lead to County Lines involvement by asking them to rate their willingness to participate in five hypothetical scenarios typical of County Lines engagement and one control scenario (bit-coin scam). About 62% of the 116 students were willing to engage compared to only 3% in the control scenario. Participant demographics, drug abuse, mental health, financial distress, and materialism were also measured and significantly predicted willingness to engage with the scenarios with weak to moderate effect. Findings suggest that university students are vulnerable to engaging in County Lines but the risk factors in the literature may not be good predictors of determining vulnerability.

BACKGROUND Mobile apps may present an opportunity to increase access to psychological interventions aimed at addressing Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI). OBJECTIVE To review virtual stores and published literature regarding mobile apps that are intended to address NSSI either directly or indirectly. METHODS The review in August 2019 was comprised of two stages; the first focused on searching iTunes and Google Play commercial app stores. The second involved identifying published articles in the following databases: The Cochrane Library, Embase, Medline, ProQuest Central, PsycINFO, Scopus and Web of Science. RESULTS Six apps had been specifically designed to treat NSSI. Four apps had been developed that were not specific to treating NSSI but could be potentially useful. Five apps aimed to facilitate a community forum resource for those with NSSI. Five apps had been created to provide informative resources specific to NSSI and a further eight apps were relevant to those who present with NSSI but were not specifically created for that population. One hundred and forty papers were identified in the literature search with eight being relevant to the review. A further six papers of relevance were identified when using the app name as the search term. CONCLUSIONS The evidence-base pertaining to the use of mobile apps to address NSSI is small but growing. Further research is needed before robust recommendations can be made. Many of the existing apps show potential for increasing access to evidence-based interventions, increasing social support and providing quick access to local supportive resources and information. CLINICALTRIAL N/A