Cognitive behavior therapy for adult eating disorders in routine clinical care: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is a recommended treatment for eating disorders (ED) in adults given its evidence, mainly based on efficacy studies. However, little is known about how CBT works in routine clinical care. The goal of the present meta-analysis is to investigate how CBT works for various ED when carried out in routine clinical settings. METHOD: Ovid MEDLINE, Embase OVID, and PsycINFO were systematically searched for articles published until June 2023. The outcome of CBT, methodological quality, risk of bias (RoB), and moderators of treatment outcome were examined and benchmarked by meta-analytically comparing with efficacy studies for ED. Fifty studies comprising 4299 participants who received CBT were included. RESULTS: Large within-group effect sizes (ES) were obtained for ED-psychopathology at post-treatment (1.12), and follow-up (1.22), on average 9.9 months post-treatment. Attrition rate was 25.5% and RoB was considerable in the majority of studies. The benchmarking analysis showed that effectiveness studies had very similar ESs as efficacy studies (1.20 at post-treatment and 1.28 at follow-up). CONCLUSION: CBT for ED is an effective treatment when delivered in routine clinical care, with ESs comparable to those found in efficacy studies. However, the evidence needs to be interpreted with caution due to the RoB in a high proportion of studies. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE: Eating disorders are common in the population and often lead to multiple negative consequences. CBT has been found effective for ED and is recommended in clinical guidelines. Since these recommendations are primarily based on university studies we wanted to investigate how CBT performs in routine clinical care. Our meta-analysis found that CBT worked as well in routine care as in university setting studies.

OBJETIVO: La terapia cognitivo-conductual (TCC) es un tratamiento recomendado para los trastornos de la conducta alimentaria (TCA) en adultos debido a su evidencia, basada principalmente en estudios de eficacia. Sin embargo, se sabe poco sobre cómo funciona la TCC en la atención clínica rutinaria. El objetivo de este meta-análisis es investigar cómo funciona la TCC para diversos TCA cuando se lleva a cabo en entornos clínicos habituales. MÉTODO: Se realizó una búsqueda sistemática en Ovid MEDLINE, Embase OVID y PsycINFO de artículos publicados hasta junio de 2023. Se examinaron el resultado de la TCC, la calidad metodológica, el riesgo de sesgo y los moderadores del resultado del tratamiento, y se compararon metaanalíticamente con estudios de eficacia para TCA. Se incluyeron cincuenta estudios que comprendían a 4299 participantes que recibieron TCC. RESULTADOS: Se obtuvieron tamaños del efecto (TE) grandes dentro del grupo para la patología de los TCA en el post-tratamiento (1.12) y en el seguimiento (1.22), en promedio 9.9 meses después del post-tratamiento. La tasa de abandono fue del 25.5% y el riesgo de sesgo fue considerable en la mayoría de los estudios. El análisis de comparación mostró que los estudios de efectividad tenían TE muy similares a los estudios de eficacia (1.20 en el post-tratamiento y 1.28 en el seguimiento). CONCLUSIÓN: La TCC para los TCA es un tratamiento efectivo cuando se administra en la atención clínica rutinaria, con TE comparables a los encontrados en estudios de eficacia. Sin embargo, la evidencia debe interpretarse con cautela debido al riesgo de sesgo en una alta proporción de los estudios.

Clinically representative therapy for Nordic adult outpatients with common mental health problems: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

There is a knowledge gap regarding clinically representative therapy given in routine settings, that is treatment as usual (TAU), for patients with common mental health problems (CMHP). This review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate what characterizes clinically representative therapy in Nordic routine clinics and meta-analyze the outcome of such treatment. Databases (PubMed, EMBASE, PsychINFO, and SveMed+) were searched for TAU, CMHP, and Nordic countries, together with backward and forward search in Scopus (7 November 2022). Studies were either randomized controlled trials (RCT) or open trials, using prospective study designs, examining heterogeneous outpatient groups in routine treatment. Within- and between-group effect sizes (ES), using random effects model, and moderator analyses were calculated. Eleven studies (n = 1,413), demonstrated a small to moderate within-group ES with high heterogeneity (g = 0.49, I2 = 90%). ESs in RCTs were significantly smaller than in open trials. TAU had a marginally smaller ES (g = -0.21; adjusted for publication bias g = -0.06) compared to a broad set of clinical interventions. Clinically representative therapy in the Nordic countries demonstrated a wide variety of characteristics and also a marginally lower ES compared to other interventions. The ESs were smaller than other meta-analyses examining evidence-based treatments in routine treatment.

Concentrated transdiagnostic and cross-disciplinary group treatment for patients with depression and with anxiety: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: A number of treatment approaches have shown efficacy for depression and/or anxiety, yet there is a paucity of research on potentially cost-effective concentrated approaches. Based on our previous experience with concentrated treatment in disorders such as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and chronic fatigue, we proposed that this novel approach could be useful for other conditions, including depression and/or anxiety. As a pre-requisite for a future randomized controlled trial, the aim of this study was to investigate the acceptability, satisfaction and effectiveness of a transdiagnostic, interdisciplinary group treatment delivered during 5 consecutive days to groups of 6-10 patients with depression and/or anxiety. METHODS: This was a non-randomized clinical intervention pilot study in line with a published protocol. Forty-two consecutively referred patients, aged 19-47 (mean age 31.7, SD = 8.12) were included and completed treatment. All had a severity of their problems that entitled them to care in the specialist public mental health care. Self-reported age when the symptoms became a problem was 20.9 years. Mean number of prior treatment courses was 2.77 (SD = 2.19; range 0-8). Acceptability was defined as the proportion of eligible patients who accepted and completed the treatment. Satisfaction was evaluated by Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8. Secondary objectives were to assess the treatment effectiveness by questionnaires at pre-treatment, seven days post-treatment and three months follow-up. RESULTS: The treatment was highly acceptable (91.3% accepted, all completed), and patients were highly satisfied with the treatment, including the amount. Functional impairment, as measured by Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS) improved significantly (p < .0005) from "severe" (mean 25.4 SD = 6.59) to "less severe" (mean 13.37, SD = 9.43) at 3 months follow-up. Using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the effect sizes at 3 months follow-up were 1.21 for anxiety and 1.3 for depression. More than 80% reported reduced utilization of mental health care, and 67% had not used, or had used the family doctor less, for anxiety or depression. 52% had not used, or had reduced, medication for their disorder. CONCLUSIONS: The concentrated, interdisciplinary treatment approach yielded promising results. Long-term follow up is warranted. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study is registered in Clinical Trials, identifier NCT05234281 and approval date 09/02/2022.

The Efficacy of Parent Management Training With or Without Involving the Child in the Treatment Among Children with Clinical Levels of Disruptive Behavior: A Meta-analysis.

A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted where we evaluated the effects of Parent Management Training (PMT), Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) and PMT combined with child cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) using data from 25 RCTs on children with clinical levels of disruptive behavior (age range 2-13 years). Results showed that PMT (g = 0.64 [95% CI 0.42, 0.86]) and PCIT (g = 1.22 [95% CI 0.75, 1.69]) were more effective than waiting-list (WL) in reducing parent-rated disruptive behavior, and PMT also in improving parental skills (g = 0.83 [95% CI 0.67, 0.98]) and child social skills (g = 0.49 [95% CI 0.30, 0.68]). PCIT versus WL had larger effects in reducing disruptive behavior than PMT versus WL. In the few studies found, the addition of child CBT to PMT did not yield larger effects than PMT or WL. These results support offering PMT to children with clinical levels of disruptive behavior and highlight the additional benefits of PCIT for younger ages.

Therapist Alliance-Building Behaviors, Alliance, and Outcomes in Cognitive Behavioral Treatment for Youth Anxiety Disorders.

OBJECTIVE: The alliance influences outcomes in CBT for youth anxiety disorders. Thus, knowledge about how therapists can enhance the alliance is needed. METHOD: Seventy-three youth with anxiety diagnoses (M age = 11.5 years, SD = 2.2; range 8 to 15 years; 47.9% boys; 90.4% white-European) participated in 10-session cognitive behavioral therapy in community clinics. Therapist alliance-building behaviors in session 2 was reliably coded with the observer-rated Adolescent Alliance-Building Behavior Scale (Revised) (AABS(R)). Alliance was measured as youth- and therapist-rated alliance, and youth-therapist alliance discrepancy in session 3. Outcomes were diagnostic recovery and anxiety symptom reduction at post-treatment and one-year follow-up, and treatment dropout. We examined the direct effects of alliance-building on alliance, alliance on outcomes, and alliance-building on outcomes in multilevel mediation models, and between- versus within-therapist variance across these effects. RESULTS: The alliance-building behaviors collaborate, present treatment model, and explore motivation positively predicted alliance, whereas actively structuring the session (i.e., dominating) negatively predicted alliance. The alliance-building behaviors attend to experience, collaborate, explore motivation, praise, and support positively predicted outcomes. The alliance-building behaviors present treatment model, express positive expectations, explore cognitions, and support negatively predicted outcomes. The effect of collaborate on symptom reduction was mediated by youth-therapist alliance discrepancy. There was almost zero between-therapist variance in alliance-building, and considerable within-therapist variance. CONCLUSION: Therapist alliance-building behaviors were directly (positively and negatively) associated with alliance and/or outcomes, with only one effect mediated by alliance. Alliance-building behaviors varied far more within therapists (i.e., across clients) than between therapists.

Long-term outcomes of internet-delivered cognitive behaviour therapy for paediatric anxiety disorders: towards a stepped care model of health care delivery.

Internet-delivered cognitive behaviour therapy (ICBT) is emerging as a powerful tool to fill the gap between demand and availability of evidence-based treatment for paediatric anxiety disorders. However, it is still unclear how to best implement it in routine clinical care. 123 children (8-12 years) with anxiety disorders underwent a 12-week ICBT programme with limited therapist support. Participants were assessed 3- and 12-month post-ICBT (3MFU and 12MFU, respectively). Non-remitters who still fulfilled diagnostic criteria for their principal anxiety disorder at 3MFU were offered additional manualised "face-to-face" (F2F) CBT. The aim of the study was to emulate a stepped-care model of health care delivery, where the long-term treatment gains of ICBT as well as the potential benefit of proving addition treatment to non-remitters of ICBT were evaluated. Remitters of ICBT (n = 73) continued to improve throughout the study period (pre-ICBT to 12MFU; Cohen's d = 2.42). At 12MFU, 89% (n = 65) were free from their principal anxiety disorder. Of all the participants classed as non-remitters at 3MFU (n = 37), 48.6% (n = 18) accepted the offer to receive additional F2F CBT. These participants also improved with a large effect from pre-ICBT to 12MFU (Cohen's d = 2.27), with the largest effect occurring during F2F CBT. At 12MFU, 83% (n = 15) were free from their principal anxiety disorders. The majority of non-remitters declining additional F2F CBT (63.2%; n = 12) did so due to already receiving treatment at their local CAMHS, prior to 3MFU. The effects of ICBT for anxiety disorders are durable at least up to 1 year after the end of treatment. Patients who fail to fully benefit from ICBT improved further with additional F2F sessions at our clinic, suggesting that it may be feasible to implement ICBT within a stepped-care model of health care delivery.

Predictors of outcome in guided self-help cognitive behavioural therapy for common mental disorders in primary care.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can effectively treat common mental disorders (CMDs), but access to treatment is insufficient. Guided self-help (GSH) CBT has shown effects comparable to face-to-face CBT and may be a resource-efficient treatment alternative. However, not all patients respond to GSH. Learning more about predictors of outcome may increase knowledge regarding which patients respond to GSH. The aim of this study was to investigate predictors of outcome for GSH CBT for patients with CMDs in primary care. Consecutive patients (N = 396) with a principal disorder of depression, anxiety, insomnia or stress-related disorders were included. All patients received GSH CBT. Outcomes were remission status, reliable change and post-treatment depression ratings. Predictors investigated were clinical, demographic and therapy-related variables. Analyses were conducted using logistic and linear regression. Higher educational level predicted remission, higher quality of life ratings predicted remission and decreased depression, and higher age at onset predicted reliable change. Therapy-related variables, i.e. patient adherence to treatment and patients' and clinicians' estimation of treatment response, were all related to outcome. More large-scale studies are needed, but the present study points at the importance of therapy-related variables such as monitoring and supporting treatment adherence for an increased chance of remission.

Effects of cognitive behavioural therapy and return-to-work intervention for patients on sick leave due to stress-related disorders: Results from a randomized trial.

The aim of this study was to evaluate specific effects for patients with adjustment or exhaustion disorder, the Stress subgroup (n = 152), regarding symptom severity and sick leave after CBT, a return-to-work intervention (RTW-I), and a combination of them (COMBO), using data from a randomized trial. In the original study, primary care patients on sick leave (N = 211) were randomized to CBT (n = 64), RTW-I (n = 67), or COMBO (n = 80). Blinded Clinician Severity Rating (CSR) of symptoms and sick leave registry data were primary outcomes. Subgroup analyses showed that for the Stress subgroup, CBT led to greater reduction of symptoms than RTW-I posttreatment, but COMBO did not differ from CBT or RTW-I. Regarding sick leave, there was no difference between treatments in the Stress subgroup. An exploratory analysis of the treatment effects in a subgroup of patients with depression, anxiety or insomnia indicates that RTW-I reduced sick leave faster than CBT. We conclude that CBT may be promising as an effective treatment of stress and exhaustion disorder.

Cognitive behaviour therapy for depression in primary care: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Depression is common in primary care, and most patients prefer psychological treatment over pharmacotherapy. Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment, but there are gaps in current knowledge about CBT in the primary care context, especially with regard to long-term effects and the efficacy of specific delivery formats. This is an obstacle to the integration of primary care and specialist psychiatry. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials of CBT for primary care patients with depression to investigate the effect of CBT for patients with depression in primary care. A total of 34 studies, with 2543 patients in CBT and 2815 patients in control conditions, were included. CBT was more effective than the control conditions [g = 0.22 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.15-0.30)], and the effect was sustained at follow-up [g = 0.17 (95% CI 0.10-0.24)]. CBT also led to a higher response rate [odds ratio (OR) = 2.47 (95% CI 1.60-3.80)] and remission rate [OR = 1.56 (95% CI 1.15-2.14)] than the control conditions. Heterogeneity was moderate. The controlled effect of CBT was significant regardless of whether patients met diagnostic criteria for depression, scored above a validated cut-off for depression, or merely had depressive symptoms. CBT also had a controlled effect regardless of whether the treatment was delivered as individual therapy, group therapy or therapist-guided self-help. We conclude that CBT appears to be effective for patients with depression in primary care, and recommend that patients with mild to moderate depression be offered CBT in primary care.

One-Session Treatment of Specific Phobias in Children: Recent Developments and a Systematic Review.

One-Session Treatment is a well-established evidence-based treatment for specific phobias in youths that incorporates reinforcement, cognitive challenges, participant modeling, psychoeducation, and skills training into a single, massed session of graduated exposure. This review begins by briefly examining the phenomenology, etiology, epidemiology, and assessment of specific phobias and then pivots to a description of One-Session Treatment. We examine the use of One-Session Treatment with children and adolescents, briefly discussing its components and application, and subsequently review almost two decades of research supporting its efficacy. Finally, we propose future directions for research and practice.

Psychological treatments for return to work in individuals on sickness absence due to common mental disorders or musculoskeletal disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized-controlled trials.

PURPOSE: Common mental disorders (CMDs) and musculoskeletal disorders are highly prevalent in the population and cause significant distress and disability, and high costs to society. The main objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine the outcome and comparative effectiveness of psychological interventions in reducing sickness absence (SA) due to CMDs or musculoskeletal disorders, compared to a waitlist control group, usual care or another clinical intervention. METHODS: We reviewed 3515 abstracts of randomized controlled trials published from 1998 to 2017. Of these, 30 studies were included in the analysis. RESULTS: The psychological interventions were overall more effective than treatment as usual in reducing SA (small effect sizes), but not compared to other clinical interventions. Results were similar for studies on CMDs and musculoskeletal pain. A few significant moderating effects were found for treatment-specific variables. However, these were  difficult to interpret as they pointed in different directions. CONCLUSION: There was a small but significant effect of psychological treatments in reducing SA. We identified areas of improvement such as methodological problems among the included studies and failure to specifically address RTW in the interventions that were evaluated. Clinical implications of the findings, and ways of improving methodological rigour of future studies are discussed.

The Bergen 4-day treatment for OCD: four years follow-up of concentrated ERP in a clinical mental health setting.

There are few long-term follow-up studies on psychological treatment of anxiety disorders carried out in clinical mental health settings, so called effectiveness studies. The present paper presents a four year follow-up of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder treated by the Bergen 4-day treatment (B4DT), a concentrated form of exposure and response prevention (ERP). A total of 77 obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients received treatment during four consecutive days and were assessed with the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) pre, post, and at follow-ups after 3 and 6 months, and 4 years post-treatment. The Y-BOCS mean score changed from 25.9 at pre- to 10.0 post-treatment and 9.9 at long-term follow-up. The proportion fulfilling the strict international consensus criteria for remission was 73% at post-treatment and 69% at follow-up. When taking declining rate, attrition rate, remission, relapse, and further improvement during the follow-up period into account, 72% were recovered on a long-term basis. A comparison with previously published effectiveness studies of ERP indicated that the 4-day treatment yielded significantly higher proportions of remission at post-treatment and recovery at follow-up, as well as within-group effect size on the Y-BOCS. The implications of these results are discussed.

Does Family Accommodation Predict Outcome of Concentrated Exposure and Response Prevention for Adolescents?

Findings suggest that increased levels of family accommodation are associated with a poorer treatment outcome in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). A concentrated treatment format, the Bergen 4-day treatment (B4DT), has previously demonstrated promising results in the treatment of adolescents with OCD. The present paper examined changes in family accommodation and investigated whether family accommodation predicted outcome, in a sample of 63 adolescents (age range 11-18) participating in the B4DT. There were significant reductions on CY-BOCS and FAS from pre- to post-treatment and from pre-treatment to follow-up (p < 0.001), with large within-group effect sizes on both measures. Pre-treatment levels of symptom severity or family accommodation was not found to predict outcome at post-treatment or at follow-up. Less OCD-related functional impairment at pre-treatment predicted a better outcome at both post-treatment and follow-up. The findings suggest that the B4DT significantly reduces OCD-symptoms regardless of pre-treatment levels of family accommodation or OCD severity.

The empirical support for mindfulness-based interventions for common psychiatric disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have become widely used for common mental disorders (CMDs) but the state of the evidence has not been sufficiently investigated. The aims for this study were: (1) to quantify the effect size of MBIs for CMDs in the acute phase; (2) to explore moderator variables; and (3) to evaluate the evidence status of MBIs for the CMDs it has been tried for. A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were conducted. RCTs that evaluated MBI and included patients with a primary manifest CMD was included. Methodological quality, the risk of bias, publication bias and evidence status were assessed. Literature searches gave 2448 hits and 19 studies were included. MBIs were more effective than no treatment (g = 1.07) and treatment-as-usual (g = 0.40) but not in comparison to placebo (g = 0.17) or other active treatments (g = -0.01). Methodological quality was negatively correlated with outcome. For all psychiatric disorders it has been tested, MBIs were judged to have weak or no empirical support. The conclusion of the study is that the evidence-base for MBIs for CMDs in the acute phase is weak.

Sickness absence: a systematic review and meta-analysis of psychological treatments for individuals on sick leave due to common mental disorders.

Sick leave due to common mental disorders (CMDs) increase rapidly and present a major societal challenge. The overall effect of psychological interventions to reduce sick leave and symptoms has not been sufficiently investigated and there is a need for a systematic review and meta-analysis of the field. The aim of the present meta-analysis was to calculate the effect size of psychological interventions for CMDs on sick leave and psychiatric symptoms based on all published randomized controlled trials. Methodological quality, the risk of bias and publication bias were also assessed. The literature searches gave 2240 hits and 45 studies were included. The psychological interventions were more effective than care as usual on both reduced sick leave (g = 0.15) and symptoms (g = 0.21). There was no significant difference in effect between work focused interventions, problem-solving therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy or collaborative care. We conclude that psychological interventions are more effective than care as usual to reduce sick leave and symptoms but the effect sizes are small. More research is needed on psychological interventions that evaluate effects on sick leave. Consensual measures of sick leave should be established and quality of psychotherapy for patients on sick leave should be improved.

Stepped care in primary care - guided self-help and face-to-face cognitive behavioural therapy for common mental disorders: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Common mental disorders (CMD) cause large suffering and high societal costs. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can effectively treat CMD, but access to treatment is insufficient. Guided self-help (GSH) CBT, has shown effects comparable with face-to-face CBT. However, not all patients respond to GSH, and stepping up non-responders to face-to-face CBT, could yield larger response rates. The aim was to test a stepped care model for CMD in primary care by first evaluating the effects of GSH-CBT and secondly, for non-responders, evaluating the additional effect of face-to-face CBT. METHODS: Consecutive patients (N = 396) with a principal disorder of depression, anxiety, insomnia, adjustment or exhaustion disorder were included. In Step I, all patients received GSH-CBT. In Step II, non-responders were randomized to face-to-face CBT or continued GSH. The primary outcome was remission status, defined as a score below a pre-established cutoff on a validated disorder-specific scale. RESULTS: After GSH-CBT in Step I, 40% of patients were in remission. After Step II, 39% of patients following face-to-face CBT were in remission compared with 19% of patients after continued GSH (p = 0.004). Using this stepped care model required less than six therapy sessions per patient and led to an overall remission rate of 63%. CONCLUSIONS: Stepped care can be effective and resource-efficient to treat CMD in primary care, leading to high remission rates with limited therapist resources. Face-to-face CBT speeded up recovery compared with continued GSH. At follow-ups after 6 and 12 months, remission rates were similar in the two groups.

Successfully treating 90 patients with obsessive compulsive disorder in eight days: the Bergen 4-day treatment.

BACKGROUND: Oslo University Hospital, Norway, had by autumn 2016, accumulated a waiting list of 101 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) who had a legal right to receive treatment by a specialized OCD team. In this challenging situation, the Bergen OCD-team suggested to solve the problem by offering all patients an option for the rapid Bergen 4-day treatment (B4DT). The B4DT is an individual treatment delivered during four consecutive days in a group of six patients with the same number of therapists. The approach has previously shown a post-treatment response rate of 90% and a 3-month remission rate of 70%. METHODS: Ninety-seven of the wait-list patients were available for the scheduled time slots, and 90 received the 4-day format during 8 days (45 patients each week). The therapists were recruited from 22 different specialized OCD-teams from all over Norway, and 44 (68%) had not previously delivered the 4-day format. RESULTS: Post-treatment; 91.1% of the patients were classified as responders, and 72.2% were in remission. At 3-month follow-up; 84.4 were classified as responders and the remission rate was 67.7%. Oslo University Hospital now offers the 4-day treatment as standard treatment for OCD. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the B4DT is an acceptable and potentially effective OCD-treatment.

Sleep disturbances in treatment-seeking OCD-patients: Changes after concentrated exposure treatment.

Research indicates that patients with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) frequently suffer from comorbid sleep difficulties, and that these difficulties often are not clinically recognized and diagnosed. There has been limited research investigating if comorbid sleep difficulties impair treatment outcome for OCD and if the sleep difficulties change following OCD-treatment. Thirty-six patients with obsessive compulsive disorder underwent concentrated exposure treatment delivered in a group over four consecutive days and were assessed with measures of OCD, depressive symptoms and sleep disturbance at three different time points (pre, post and 6 months follow-up). The sample was characterized by a high degree of comorbidity with other psychiatric disorders. At pre-treatment nearly 70% of the patients reported sleep difficulties indicative of primary insomnia. The results showed that patients had large reductions of OCD-symptoms as well as significant improvements in sleep disturbance assessed after treatment, and that these improvements were maintained at follow-up. Sleep disturbance did not impair treatment outcome, on the contrary patients with higher degree of sleep disturbance at pre-treatment had better outcome on OCD-symptoms after treatment. The results indicated that the majority of the OCD sample suffered from sleep disturbances and that these sleep disturbances were significantly reduced following adequate treatment of OCD without specific sleep interventions. However, a proportion of the patients suffered from residual symptoms of insomnia after treatment.

Do clinical experience, formal cognitive behavioural therapy training, adherence, and competence predict outcome in cognitive behavioural therapy for anxiety disorders in youth?

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to investigate whether clinical experience, formal cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) training, adherence, and competence predict outcome in CBT for anxiety disorders in youth. METHOD: Videotapes (N = 181) from the sessions in a randomized controlled effectiveness trial (Wergeland et al., 2014, Behaviour Research and Therapy, 57, 1-12) comprising youth (N = 182, M age = 11.5 years) with mixed anxiety disorders were assessed for treatment adherence and competence using the Competence and Adherence Scale for CBT for anxiety disorders in youth (Bjaastad et al., 2016, Psychological Assessment, 28, 908-916). Therapists' (N = 17) clinical experience and educational background were assessed. Participants completed a diagnostic interview (Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule, child and parent versions) and an anxiety symptom measure (Spence Children's Anxiety Scale, child and parent versions) at pretreatment, posttreatment, and 1-year follow-up. RESULTS: Higher therapist adherence was related to better treatment outcomes, whereas number of years of clinical experience and competence was related to worse outcomes. However, these findings were not consistent across informants and the time points for the assessments. Interaction effects suggested that competence among therapists with formal CBT training was related to better patient outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Therapist adherence, competence, and clinical experience are associated with outcomes of manualized CBT for youth anxiety disorders, but mixed findings indicate the need for more research in this area.

Cognitive-behavioural therapy and return-to-work intervention for patients on sick leave due to common mental disorders: a randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: Common mental disorders (CMDs) cause great individual suffering and long-term sick leave. Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) effectively treats CMDs, but sick leave is not reduced to the same extent as psychiatric symptoms. Research results regarding return-to-work interventions (RTW-Is) and their effect on sick leave are inconclusive. The aim of this study was to evaluate CBT, a RTW-I and combined CBT and RTW-I (COMBO) for primary care patients on sick leave due to CMDs. METHODS: Patients with CMDs (n=211) were randomised to CBT (n=64), RTW-I (n=67) or COMBO (n=80). Sick-leave registry data after 1 year and blinded Clinician's Severity Rating (CSR) of symptoms post-treatment and at follow-ups after 6 and 12 months were primary outcomes. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between treatments in days on sick leave 1 year after treatment start (mean difference in sick-leave days range=9-27). CBT led to larger reduction of symptoms post-treatment (CSR; Cohen's d=0.4 (95% CI 0.1 to 0.8)) than RTW-I, whereas COMBO did not differ from CBT or RTW-I. At follow-up, after 1 year, there was no difference between groups. All treatments were associated with large pre-treatment to post-treatment improvements, and results were maintained at 1-year follow-up. CONCLUSION: No treatment was superior to the other regarding reducing sick leave. All treatments effectively reduced symptoms, CBT in a faster pace than RTW-I, but at 1-year follow-up, all groups had similar symptom levels. Further research is needed regarding how CBT and RTW-I can be combined more efficiently to produce a larger effect on sick leave while maintaining effective symptom reduction.