Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET) has emerged as a promising approach for addressing persistent physical symptoms (PPS). Investigating EAET within the context of routine psychiatric care is crucial for several reasons: Many patients with PPS experience significant distress and functional impairment, yet traditional medical treatments often fail to provide adequate relief. Integrating EAET into routine care could offer a valuable therapeutic option for this population. Preliminary studies suggest that EAET can lead to significant reductions in pain and other somatic symptoms. Investigating its effectiveness in routine care settings could enhance treatment outcomes for patients who have not responded to conventional therapies. There is often a disconnect between mental health and physical health treatment in routine care. Investigating EAET can help bridge this gap, fostering collaboration between mental health professionals and primary care providers to address the complexities of patients\' health issues.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
50
Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET) is a manualized, short-term psychodynamic therapy that, in this instance, is delivered in a group format. The core of Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET) involves helping individuals identify, understand, and express their emotions in a therapeutic setting. The therapy emphasizes the connection between unprocessed emotions and physical symptoms, encouraging participants to explore the emotional underpinnings of their distress. Through guided discussions, psychoeducation, and expressive exercises, participants learn to recognize patterns of emotional avoidance, develop self-compassion, and improve interpersonal communication. This process aims to reduce somatic symptoms and enhance overall emotional well-being by fostering a greater awareness of emotional experiences.
Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15)
Somatic symptom severity during the "last week " are assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15). Items are rated 0 ("not bothered at all"), 1 ("bothered a little"), or 2 ("bothered a lot"); total scores range from 0 to 30.
Time frame: Pre-post treatment (at treatment termination)
Visual Analoge Scales
A second primary outcome is the two Visual Analoge Scales suggested by the EURONET-SOMA network (Rief et al., 2017). Somatic symptom intensity is measured from 1 ("No symptom") to 10 ("Symptom as bad as you can imagine") and somatic symptom interference from 1 ("No interference") to 10 ("Maximum interference").
Time frame: Pre-post treatment (at treatment termination)
Sheehan Disability Scale
SDS consist on three visual analogue scales ranging from 0-10 for symptom interference in daily life. Higher scores indicate worse symptom/functioning, with a maximum score of 30.
Time frame: 1. Pre-post treatment (at treatment termination). 2. Pre-Follow up (12 weeks after intervention).
Post traumatic symptom Check List-5 (PCL-5),
PCL-5 consists of 20 questions with ratings 0-4 on impact of post traumatic symptoms. Higher scores indicate worse symptom/functioning with a maximum score of 80.
Time frame: 1. Pre-post treatment (at treatment termination). 2. Pre-Follow up (12 weeks after intervention).
Patient Health Questionaire-9 (PHQ-9)
PHQ-9 consists of nine questions withs ratings 0-3 (0= "not at all", 3= "almost every day") on impact of depressive symptoms. Higher scores indicate worse symptom/functioning with a maximum score of 27.
Time frame: 1. Pre-post treatment (at treatment termination). 2. Pre-Follow up (12 weeks after intervention).
Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7)
GAD-7 consists of seven questions with ratings 0-3 (0= "not at all", 3= "almost every day") on impact of anxiety symptoms. Higher scores indicate worse symptom/functioning functioning with a maximum score of 21.
Time frame: 1. Pre-post treatment (at treatment termination). 2. Pre-Follow up (12 weeks after intervention).
Visual Analoge Scales
Visual Analoge Scales suggested by the EURONET-SOMA network (Rief et al., 2017). Somatic symptom intensity is measured from 1 ("No symptom") to 10 ("Symptom as bad as you can imagine") and somatic symptom interference from 1 ("No interference") to 10 ("Maximum interference").
Time frame: Pre-FU (12 weeks after intervention)
Patient Health Questionaire-15 (PHQ-15)
Somatic symptom severity during the "last week" was assessed with the PHQ-15. Items were rated 0 ("Not bothered at all"), 1 ("Bothered a little"), or 2 ("Bothered a lot"); total scores range from 0 to 30 for women and 0-27 for men.
Time frame: Pre-FU (12 weeks after intervention)
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