Key clinical point: The Internet-based Worry and Sadness program improved mental health in adults with rheumatoid arthritis over 3 months.
Major finding : At 3 months’ follow-up, measures of anxiety, depression, and emotional distress improved significantly from baseline with effect sizes ranging from small to large; 44% of participants had normal scores for anxiety (medium effect size).
Study details: The data come from 28 adults (mean age 57 years, 86% women) with rheumatoid arthritis who completed an Internet-based cognitive-behavioral therapy intervention.
Disclosures: The study was supported in part by a University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowship and The Arthritis Society 2016 PhD Salary Award to lead author Dr. Blaney, and by the CIHR Chronic Pain SPOR Network and Health Sciences Centre. The researchers had no financial conflicts to disclose.
Source: Blaney C et al. Internet Interv. 2021 Mar 26. doi: 10.1016/j.invent.2021.100385.