This study is an open trial designed to examine individual changes that occur before, during, and after 12 sessions of Emotion Regulation Therapy (ERT) delivered via telehealth for individuals in New York State who are experiencing elevated worry, rumination, or self-criticism.
The main questions this study aims to answer are to: 1. Examine temporal patterns of ERT-specific treatment mechanisms (attention regulation, metacognitive regulation, motivation regulation, and valued living), relationships between these mechanisms and negative self-referential processing (NSRP; i.e., rumination, worry, and self-criticism) severity over time, and changes in these mechanisms in response to specific intervention strategies/modules. 2. Investigate the effect of concordance and/or discordance between therapists and clients regarding skill acquisition, treatment goals, and case conceptualizations on treatment mechanisms as well as measures of treatment outcome and satisfaction. 3. Demonstrate the preliminary efficacy of a 12-session version of ERT in reducing symptoms of psychological distress (e.g., anxiety, depression, worry, rumination, self-criticism), changing ERT-specific treatment mechanisms (e.g., attention regulation), and improving quality of life and overall functioning. Participants will: 1. Fill out an online pre-screening questionnaire and complete a structured clinical interview via Zoom Healthcare 2. Be enrolled as a patient at the Dean Hope Center for Educational and Psychological Services (DHCEPS), located at Teachers College 3. Attend 12 once-weekly telehealth ERT sessions 4. Complete 18 weekly questionnaires online via Qualtrics (two before starting treatment, 12 each week during treatment, and 4 after ending treatment).
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
24
The initial stage of treatment focuses on psychoeducation about anxiety/depression, the impact that these cognitions/behaviors/emotions have on recent situations, and self-monitoring of worry/anxiety/depression. The sessions focus on the development of skills that help understand and regulate one's emotional experience (i.e., recognizing emotions when they are happening, identifying the meaning of a given emotion experience, soothing oneself in the context of negative emotional experiences). Following the development of these skills, sessions focus on the application of somatic awareness and emotion regulation skills while imagining emotionally evocative themes. The remaining session focuses on terminating therapy, relapse prevention, and future goals. An Internet-based online platform will be used to promote engagement with and increase accessibility to between-session skills practice and treatment-related activities (e.g., self-monitoring, session summaries, worksheets).
Teachers College, Columbia University
New York, New York, United States
Weekly Assessment of Change in Attentional Control
The Attentional Control Scale (ACS) is a 21-item measure used to measure difficulties with concentration associated with problems regulating emotions. The focusing and shifting subscales of the ACS align with the two attention emotion regulation (ER) skills taught in ERT.
Time frame: Weekly from Baseline (2 weeks) through Treatment (12 weeks) and Follow-Up (4 weeks)
Weekly Assessment of Change in Decentering
The decentering subscale of the Experiences Questionnaire (EQ-D) is an 11-item subscale assessing one's ability to distance themselves from their emotional experience, which is one metacognitive ER skill taught during ERT. Higher scores on this subscale indicate better ability to distancing oneself from one's emotional experience.
Time frame: Weekly from Baseline (2 weeks) through Treatment (12 weeks) and Follow-Up (4 weeks)
Weekly Assessment of Change in Reappraisal
The reappraisal subscale of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) is a 6-item measure of the ability to regulate emotions, using the strategy of reappraisal. Higher scores on this subscale indicate a better ability to regulate emotions using the strategy of reappraisal.
Time frame: Weekly from Baseline (2 weeks) through Treatment (12 weeks) and Follow-Up (4 weeks)
Weekly Assessment of Change in Valued Living/Action
The Valuing Questionnaire (VQ) is a 10-item measure of the degree to which patients live by their values in daily life. It uses a 7-point Likert scale (0-6) to assess progress and obstructions to valued living. Higher scores on this measure indicate more valued living.
Time frame: Weekly from Baseline (2 weeks) through Treatment (12 weeks) and Follow-Up (4 weeks)
Weekly Assessment of Change in Clarity of Approach-Avoidance Motivation
The Mental Representation of Approach Avoidance Questionnaire (MRAAQ) is a 42-item self-report assessment designed to capture the mental representation of approach-avoidance motivation.
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Time frame: Weekly from Baseline (2 weeks) through Treatment (12 weeks) and Follow-Up (4 weeks)
Weekly Assessment of Change in Depression Severity
The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Item Bank v. 1.0 - Emotional Distress - Depression - Short Form 8a will be administered to assess for depression severity. Higher scores on this measure indicate greater depression severity.
Time frame: Weekly from Baseline (2 weeks) through Treatment (12 weeks) and Follow-Up (4 weeks)
Weekly Assessment of Change in Anxiety Severity
The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Item Bank - Emotional Distress - Anxiety - Short Form 8a will be administered to assess for anxiety severity. Higher scores on this measure indicate greater anxiety severity.
Time frame: Weekly from Baseline (2 weeks) through Treatment (12 weeks) and Follow-Up (4 weeks)
Weekly Assessment of Change in Rumination
The Rumination-Reflection Questionnaire (RRQ) is a 12-item measure that assesses past-focused rumination with specificity regarding the types of rumination that people may experience. Higher scores on this measure indicate greater rumination.
Time frame: Weekly from Baseline (2 weeks) through Treatment (12 weeks) and Follow-Up (4 weeks)
Weekly Assessment of Change in Worry
The Penn State Worry Questionnaire - Past Week (PSWQ-PW) is an adapted version of the original PSWQ, contains 15 items (rated on a 0-6 scale), and assesses the extent to which worry has been excessive, uncontrollable, and pervasive in the past week. Higher scores on this measure indicate greater worry in the past week.
Time frame: Weekly from Baseline (2 weeks) through Treatment (12 weeks) and Follow-Up (4 weeks)
Weekly Assessment of Change in Self-Criticism
The self-judgment subscale of the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) contains 5-items and assesses the tendency to self-criticize. Higher scores on this measure indicate greater self-criticism.
Time frame: Weekly from Baseline (2 weeks) through Treatment (12 weeks) and Follow-Up (4 weeks)