The ANU WellBeing study: a protocol for a quasi-factorial randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of an Internet support group and an automated Internet intervention for depression
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Recent projections suggest that by the year 2030 depression will be the primary cause of disease burden among developed countries. Delivery of accessible consumer-focused evidenced-based services may be an important element in reduci...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2010-03-01
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| Series: | BMC Psychiatry |
| Online Access: | http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-244X/10/20 |
| _version_ | 1818229364406353920 |
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| author | Mackinnon Andrew J Christensen Helen Crisp Dimity Griffiths Kathleen M Bennett Kylie |
| author_facet | Mackinnon Andrew J Christensen Helen Crisp Dimity Griffiths Kathleen M Bennett Kylie |
| author_sort | Mackinnon Andrew J |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Recent projections suggest that by the year 2030 depression will be the primary cause of disease burden among developed countries. Delivery of accessible consumer-focused evidenced-based services may be an important element in reducing this burden. Many consumers report a preference for self-help modes of delivery. The Internet offers a promising modality for delivering such services and there is now evidence that automated professionally developed self-help psychological interventions can be effective. By contrast, despite their popularity, there is little evidence as to the effectiveness of Internet support groups which provide peer-to-peer mutual support.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>Members of the community with elevated psychological distress were randomised to receive one of the following: (1) Internet Support Group (ISG) intervention, (2) a multi-module automated psychoeducational and skills Internet Training Program (ITP), (3) a combination of the ISG and ITP, or (4) an Internet Attention Control website (IAC) comprising health and wellbeing information and question and answer modules. Each intervention was 12 weeks long. Assessments were conducted at baseline, post-intervention, 6 and 12 months to examine depressive symptoms, social support, self-esteem, quality of life, depression literacy, stigma and help-seeking for depression. Participants were recruited through a screening postal survey sent to 70,000 Australians aged 18 to 65 years randomly selected from four rural and four metropolitan regions in Australia.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>To our knowledge this study is the first randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of a depression ISG.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN65657330.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T10:17:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-05c848d334de49248872898af02d2fcd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-244X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T10:17:26Z |
| publishDate | 2010-03-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-05c848d334de49248872898af02d2fcd2022-12-22T00:27:38ZengBMCBMC Psychiatry1471-244X2010-03-011012010.1186/1471-244X-10-20The ANU WellBeing study: a protocol for a quasi-factorial randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of an Internet support group and an automated Internet intervention for depressionMackinnon Andrew JChristensen HelenCrisp DimityGriffiths Kathleen MBennett Kylie<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Recent projections suggest that by the year 2030 depression will be the primary cause of disease burden among developed countries. Delivery of accessible consumer-focused evidenced-based services may be an important element in reducing this burden. Many consumers report a preference for self-help modes of delivery. The Internet offers a promising modality for delivering such services and there is now evidence that automated professionally developed self-help psychological interventions can be effective. By contrast, despite their popularity, there is little evidence as to the effectiveness of Internet support groups which provide peer-to-peer mutual support.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>Members of the community with elevated psychological distress were randomised to receive one of the following: (1) Internet Support Group (ISG) intervention, (2) a multi-module automated psychoeducational and skills Internet Training Program (ITP), (3) a combination of the ISG and ITP, or (4) an Internet Attention Control website (IAC) comprising health and wellbeing information and question and answer modules. Each intervention was 12 weeks long. Assessments were conducted at baseline, post-intervention, 6 and 12 months to examine depressive symptoms, social support, self-esteem, quality of life, depression literacy, stigma and help-seeking for depression. Participants were recruited through a screening postal survey sent to 70,000 Australians aged 18 to 65 years randomly selected from four rural and four metropolitan regions in Australia.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>To our knowledge this study is the first randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of a depression ISG.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN65657330.</p>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-244X/10/20 |
| spellingShingle | Mackinnon Andrew J Christensen Helen Crisp Dimity Griffiths Kathleen M Bennett Kylie The ANU WellBeing study: a protocol for a quasi-factorial randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of an Internet support group and an automated Internet intervention for depression BMC Psychiatry |
| title | The ANU WellBeing study: a protocol for a quasi-factorial randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of an Internet support group and an automated Internet intervention for depression |
| title_full | The ANU WellBeing study: a protocol for a quasi-factorial randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of an Internet support group and an automated Internet intervention for depression |
| title_fullStr | The ANU WellBeing study: a protocol for a quasi-factorial randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of an Internet support group and an automated Internet intervention for depression |
| title_full_unstemmed | The ANU WellBeing study: a protocol for a quasi-factorial randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of an Internet support group and an automated Internet intervention for depression |
| title_short | The ANU WellBeing study: a protocol for a quasi-factorial randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of an Internet support group and an automated Internet intervention for depression |
| title_sort | anu wellbeing study a protocol for a quasi factorial randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of an internet support group and an automated internet intervention for depression |
| url | http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-244X/10/20 |
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