Efficacy and Underlying Mechanisms of Group Natural Psychotherapy for Anxiety Symptoms

Browse trials for

• Anxiety Disorders 4,815

Keywords

• anxiety symptom
• online group psychotherapy
• university student

Study arms

• Experimental
  Group Natural Psychotherapy

  NPT is a novel approach integrating Japanese Morita therapy and traditional Chinese culture. It proposes three core principles for treating anxiety. * Week 1 Focuses on the first principle: endure the pain and do what you should do. * Week 2: the second principle is accept the pain and avoid doing what you should not do. * Week 3: the third principle is seek pain and do what you fear. * Week 4 serves as a consolidation phase where participants synthesize their gains into a personalized coping plan for future relapse prevention.

  Behavioral: Natural Psychotherapy

• Active comparator
  Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

  A 4-week structured online group CBT intervention will be delivered weekly (90 mins per session) via an online meeting app. * Week 1 focuses on psychoeducation regarding anxiety mechanisms and establishing individual CBT loops (Situation-Thought-Emotion-Behavior). * Week 2 introduces cognitive restructuring to help participants catch automatic thoughts, check cognitive distortions, and generate balanced thoughts. * Week 3 targets behavioral modifications by helping participants recognize avoidance/safety behaviors and design manageable behavioral experiments ("mini-actions"). * Week 4 serves as a consolidation phase where participants synthesize their gains into a personalized coping plan for future relapse prevention. Homework compliance (e.g., self-monitoring tables and behavioral logs) is required weekly.

  Behavioral: CBT-001 Multi-dose

Interventions

• BehavioralCBT-001 Multi-dose

  CBT-1 is a 4-week structured online group cognitive behavioral therapy program tailored for college students with subclinical anxiety. The protocol systematically guides participants to deconstruct anxiety into an interconnected loop of situations, automatic thoughts, and behaviors.

  Also known as: Natural Psychotherapy

• BehavioralNatural Psychotherapy

  NPT's principle is fundamentally about fostering a proactive mindset. The participants are encouraged to actively seek out and engage with life's inherent challenges and discomforts as a path to growth. The emphasis is on cultivating courage and initiative as a characterological trait, transforming the individual's relationship with fear itself, rather than solely habituating to specific triggers. This represents a shift from a disorder-specific protocol to a life-oriented philosophy.

Primary outcomes

1. Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7)

   The GAD-7 is a 7-item, self-reported Likert scale used to assess the severity of participants' anxiety symptoms over the past two weeks. Each item is scored from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day), yielding a total score ranging from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating greater anxiety severity. The primary endpoint will evaluate the mean change in GAD-7 scores from baseline (Pre-intervention) to post-intervention (Week 4) to determine the efficacy of the intervention.

   Time frame: Baseline, After 1 Week, After 4 weeks, After 8 weeks

Secondary outcomes

1. Beck Depression Inventory（BDI）

   The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) is a 21-item, self-reported Likert scale used to measure the severity of depressive symptoms. Each item is scored on a 4-point scale ranging from 0 to 3. The total score is calculated by summing the scores of all 21 items, yielding a total score range from 0 to 63. Higher total scores indicate more severe depressive symptoms.

   Time frame: Baseline, After 1 week, After 4 weeks, After 8 weeks

Other outcomes

1. Insomnia Severity Index (ISI)

   The Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) is a 7-item self-report instrument assessing the nature, severity, and impact of insomnia over the past two weeks. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale from 0 to 4. The total score is obtained by summing all 7 items, ranging from 0 to 28. Higher total scores reflect a higher severity of insomnia symptoms and greater perceived impairment.

   Time frame: Baseline, After 1 week, After 4 weeks, After 8 weeks

2. State-Trait Anxiety Inventory - State Anxiety (STAI-S)

   The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for State Anxiety (STAI-S) is a 20-item self-report scale evaluating a person's current, transient state of anxiety (how they feel "right now"). Items are scored on a 4-point Likert scale from 1 (not at all) to 4 (very much so). After reverse-scoring appropriate items, the total score ranges from 20 to 80. Higher total scores indicate greater levels of current, situational anxiety.

   Time frame: Baseline, After 4 weeks, After 8 weeks

3. State-Trait Anxiety Inventory - Trait Anxiety (STAI-T)

   The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Trait Anxiety (STAI-T) is a 20-item self-report scale assessing relatively stable, long-term personality traits related to anxiety proneness (how they "generally" feel). Items are scored on a 4-point Likert scale from 1 (almost never) to 4 (almost always). After reverse-scoring appropriate items, the total score ranges from 20 to 80. Higher total scores indicate a greater propensity to experience anxiety as a personality trait.

   Time frame: Baseline, After 4 weeks, After 8 weeks

4. Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS-12)

   The Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS-12) is a 12-item self-report scale measuring negative emotional, cognitive, and behavioral reactions to uncertainty. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 (not at all characteristic of me) to 5 (entirely characteristic of me). The total score is computed by summing all items, ranging from 12 to 60. Higher total scores represent a lower tolerance for uncertainty and greater anxiety regarding future events.

   Time frame: Baseline, After 4 weeks, After 8 weeks

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No