Low-intensity interventions for people suffering from depressive symptoms are highly desirable. The aim of the present study was to investigate the outcomes of a web-based acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)-based intervention without face-to-face contact for people suffering from depressive symptoms. Participants (N = 39) with depressive symptoms were randomly assigned to an Internet-delivered acceptance and commitment therapy (iACT) intervention or a waiting list control condition (WLC). Participants were evaluated with standardized self-reporting measures (Beck Depression Inventory [BDI-II], Symptom Checklist-90 [SCL-90], Acceptance and Action Questionnaire [AAQ-2], Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire [FFMQ], Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire [ATQ], and White Bear Suppression Inventory [WBSI]) at pre- and post-measurement. Long-term effects in the iACT group were examined using a 12-month follow-up. The iACT program comprised home assignments, online feedback given by master's-level students of psychology over a 7-week intervention period, and automated email-based reminders. Significant effects were observed in favor of the iACT group on depression symptomatology (between effect sizes [ESs] at post-treatment, iACT/WLC, g = .83), psychological and physiological symptoms (g = .60), psychological flexibility (g = .67), mindfulness skills (g = .53), and frequency of automatic thoughts (g = .57) as well as thought suppression (g = .53). The treatment effects in the iACT group were maintained over the 12-month follow-up period (within-iACT ES: BDI-II, g = 1.33; SCL-90, g = 1.04; ATQF/B [Frequency/Believability], FFMQ, WBSI, AAQ-II, g = .74-1.08). The iACT participants stated that they would be happy to recommend the same intervention to others with depressive symptoms. We conclude that an ACT-based guided Internet-delivered treatment with minimal contact can be effective for people with depressive symptoms.

This is a self-archived version of an original article. This version may differ from the original in pagination and typographic details.

No abstract

No abstract

In this paper, we present results from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) that examined the impact of persuasive reminders and virtual rehearsal on the effectiveness of a behavior-change support system (BCSS). We developed the Web-based BCSS to support people with mild to moderate depression without face-to-face therapy. We randomized eligible participants into two groups. Both groups rehearsed the target behavior virtually; however, only the first intervention group received email-based reminders. We applied a mixed-methods approach for the analysis. We collected data with semi-structured self-reported questionnaires and post-study interviews. Results indicate that the severity of depression was noticeably decreased and participants' self-confidence to manage depressive thoughts was generally improved. The influence of persuasive reminders on task completion was less than we anticipated, while the participants felt that virtual rehearsal was an effective technique for learning new behaviors. We discuss possible reasons for the results at the end of the paper.