Ultra-brief digital help while waiting for psychotherapy

Optimizing a Digital Ultra-brief Treatment for Patients Waiting for Face-to-face Psychotherapy: An Investigation of Treatment Content, Human Support, and Patient Expectations (OPTIBRIEF)

This trial tests different versions of a short online program (UKADO) to help adults with depression or anxiety who are waiting for outpatient psychotherapy.

Quick facts

• Phase: NA
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 312 (estimated)
• Ages: 18 Years and up
• Sex: All
• Sponsor: University of Bern (other)
• Locations: 1 site (Bern)
• Trial ID: NCT07167849 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

OPTIBRIEF uses a factorial randomized design to test three components of a digital ultra-brief intervention (UKADO): content focus (problem-focused vs resource-focused), human support (present vs absent), and expectation-fostering elements (present vs absent). After screening questionnaires and a diagnostic telephone interview (Mini-DIPS), participants are randomized into one of eight versions and complete the program in about 60 minutes, with instructions to continue the exercises afterward. Follow-up self-report questionnaires are collected at 2, 5, 9, and 24 weeks, and a subset of participants also completes a telephone interview about their experience. The trial requires internet access and German language skills and excludes people with acute suicidality or those already in or about to start psychotherapy within 14 days after randomization.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Adults (≥18) with depressive or anxiety disorder diagnoses, a PHQ-ADS score ≥10, currently waiting for outpatient psychotherapy, fluent in German, and with internet access are ideal candidates.

Not a fit: People with acute suicidality, those already in psychotherapy or starting it within two weeks, or those without sufficient German skills or internet access are unlikely to benefit from this intervention.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the intervention could reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms during long waits for psychotherapy and improve coping while patients await formal treatment.

How similar studies have performed: Related guided and unguided digital interventions for depression and anxiety have shown modest symptom reductions, but ultra-brief formats and factorial component testing are relatively novel and less well-established.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

* Read the patient information and return signed written informed consent sheet
* Currently waiting for outpatient psychotherapy (self-report at baseline and assessed per telephone)
* Age ≥ 18 (self-report at baseline and assessed per telephone)
* Scoring equal to or above 10 on the PHQ-ADS (self-report at baseline)
* Fulfilling diagnostic criteria of one or more of the following disorders assessed with the Diagnostic Short-Interview for Mental Disorders (Mini-DIPS, DSM-5 version; Margraf et al., 2017): Major Depressive Disorder, Persistent Depressive Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, Generalized Anxiety Disorder
* Sufficient German skills (self-report at baseline)
* Access to the internet (self-report at baseline)

Exclusion Criteria:

* Acute suicidality assessed during the telephone interview (Mini-DIPS)
* Currently taking part in psychotherapy or a scheduled start of psychotherapy prior to the assessment 14 days post-randomization (assessed via self-report and during the DIPS telephone interview)

Where this trial is running

Bern

• Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Bern — Bern, Switzerland (RECRUITING)

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Laura Luisa Bielinski, PhD — Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherpay, University of Bern
• Study coordinator: Laura Luisa Bielinski, PhD

Conditions: Depressive Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, OPTIBRIEF, Ultra-brief treatment, Anxiety, Depression, Factorial trial, Wait time