At our IAPT and eHealth summit back in November, we were lucky enough to have Professor Ed Watkins of Exeter University join us to talk about their research into the efficacy of preventive interventions for anxiety disorders and depression by targeting excessive levels of repetitive negative thinking in adolescents and young adults.
The study took participants showing elevated levels of repetitive negative thinking and randomly allocated some to 6-weeks of cognitive-behavioral training delivered in a group (via the internet) and some to a waitlist control condition.
The results of the study have now been published.
The RCT found that:
- Excessive levels of worry and rumination can be reduced in a preventive intervention setting.
- Alongside these reductions, symptom levels of anxiety and depression were diminished.
- The intervention reduced incidence levels of depression and generalised anxiety disorder.
You can read more about this study here.
