The role of therapist support on effectiveness of an internet-based modular self-help intervention for adjustment disorder: a randomized controlled trial

ABSTRACT

Background: Adjustment disorder is among the most often diagnosed mental health disorders. Still, there is a lack of specific interventions available for adjustment disorder.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to test if an internet-based self-help intervention for adjustment disorder could be effective without therapist involvement.

Design: A parallel group randomized controlled trial design was used to test the effectiveness of the Brief Adjustment Disorder Intervention (BADI) – an internet-based intervention for adjustment disorder.

Methods: In total 1077 participants were randomized into two conditions: BADI intervention and BADI intervention with therapist support. The main outcome measures were symptoms of adjustment disorder and well-being.

Results: Pre-intervention to post-intervention adjustment disorder effect size for the BADI intervention group was d = 0.64, and for the BADI with therapist support group the effect size was d = 0.53.

Conclusions: The present study supported the effectiveness of the BADI intervention. Our findings also indicated that adding therapist support to the standard BADI intervention did not significantly improve the outcomes.

KEYWORDS:

• Adjustment disorder
• stress
• internet-based
• intervention
• BADI
• well-being
• RCT

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Jonas Eimontas http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2638-0235

Evaldas Kazlauskas http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6654-6220

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by a grant (No. MIP-079/2014) from the Research Council of Lithuania.