Efficacy of a therapist-assisted self-help internet-based intervention targeting PTSD, depression and insomnia symptoms after a disaster: A randomized controlled trial.

• Published in: Behavior Therapy
• Main Authors: Belleville, Geneviève, Ouellet, Marie-Christine, Békés, Vera, Lebel, Jessica, Morin, Charles M., Bouchard, Stéphane, Guay, Stéphane, Bergeron, Nicolas, Ghosh, Sunita, Campbell, Tavis, Macmaster, Frank P.
• Other Authors: 0000-0003-3043-5155 Bekes
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2022
• Subjects: online CBT intervention; PTSD; insomnia symptoms; RESILIENT online treatment; Fort McMurray; Isi
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12202/9454; https://ezproxy.yu.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,sso&db=edselp&AN=S0005789422001125&site=eds-live&scope=site; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2022.08.004

Scholarly article This study aimed at evaluating the efficacy of an online CBT intervention with limited therapist contact targeting a range of posttraumatic symptoms among evacuees from the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfires. One hundred and thirty-six residents of Fort McMurray who reported either moderate PTSD symptoms (PCL-5 ≥ 23) or mild PTSD symptoms (PCL-5 ≥ 10) with moderate depression (PHQ-9 ≥ 10) or subthreshold insomnia symptoms (ISI ≥ 8) were randomized either to a treatment (n = 69) or a waitlist condition (n = 67). Participants were on average 45 years old, and mostly identified as White (82%) and as women (76%). Primary outcomes were PTSD, depression, and insomnia symptoms. Secondary outcomes were anxiety symptoms and disability. Significant Assessment Time × Treatment Condition interactions were observed on all outcomes, indicating that access to the treatment led to a decrease in posttraumatic stress (F[1,117.04] = 12.128, p = .001; d = .519, 95% CI = .142–.895), depression (F[1,118.29] = 9.978, p = .002; d = .519, 95% CI = .141–.898) insomnia (F[1,117.60] = 4.574, p = .035; d = .512, 95% CI = .132–.892), and anxiety (F[1,119.64] = 5.465, p = .021; d = .421, 95% CI = .044–.797) symptom severity and disability (F[1,111.55] = 7.015, p = .009; d = .582, 95% CI = .200–.963). Larger effect sizes (d = 0.823–1.075) were observed in participants who completed at least half of the treatment. The RESILIENT online treatment platform was successful to provide access to specialized evidence-based mental health care after a disaster. This study was funded by a grant from the Operating Grant: Health Effects of the Alberta Wildfires program, supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Alberta Innovates, and the Canadian Red Cross. These agencies had no involvement in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the article for publication. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04808713.