Prevention of anxiety and depression

This research was designed to examine the efficacy of a cognitive behavioral psychoeducation model for the prevention of depressive and anxious symptoms. Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) has been among the most effective therapies in reducing the symptoms of many disorders. These techniques have recently been expanded into the Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP; McCullough, 2000). CBASP includes a Situational Analysis component that can be used to illustrate the principles of CBT in a simple and straightforward manner. This computer-based intervention was compared to a control group receiving basic education on anxiety and depression with no intervention component. One hundred sixty five participants were randomly assigned to the control and prevention groups. These participants completed the Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, State Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Positive and Negative Affectivity Schedule at the beginning of the pre-intervention session and eight weeks following the pre-intervention session. The primary aim of this research was to ascertain the efficacy of a cognitive behavioral intervention as a means of decreasing symptoms of anxiety and depression in an adult population. Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) revealed a significant effect of group, with the prevention group showing lower symptom scores at the follow-up session. The impact of the intervention on participants was also assessed to determine the relative benefit of the intervention for participants who demonstrate high mastery of the intervention compared to those with low mastery. MANCOVA revealed a significant mastery effect, with high mastery participants showing lower symptoms scores at the follow-up session. The implications of this study include the development of future studies that will expand upon the CBASP method as a computer based prevention strategy.