Remote W.A.R.A. Compared With Face-to-Face W.A.R.A.: A Pilot Study

Abstract

BackgroundSince the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and its social restriction measures, online therapy is a life-saving possibility for patients with acute stress. Wiring Affect with ReAttach (W.A.R.A.) is a brief psychological intervention aiming to decrease negative affect, that can be offered online.MethodsWe assessed the effect of remote W.A.R.A. on negative affect in 37 patients. Consequently, we compared the effect of remote W.A.R.A. versus face-to-face W.A.R.A on negative affect in a cross-sectional design.ResultsW.A.R.A. remote therapy provoked a significant reduction of negative affect with a large effect size (d = 3.08, p < 0.001). However, the reduction on negative affect was smaller than with W.A.R.A. face-to-face. We found a substantial difference between W.A.R.A. remote therapy and W.A.R.A. face-to-face in decrease of negative affect (d = 1.36, p < 0.001).LimitationsThe major limitation of the pilot-study is the sample size of 37 patients. Besides, we designed a numeric rating scale for evaluating negative affect. We investigated the impact on negative affect by assessing “unpleasant feelings.” This conceptualization of negative affect might still be a point of discussion.ConclusionThe study’s findings indicated that W.A.R.A. remote therapy significantly reduced negative affect, but to a lesser extent than W.A.R.A. face-to-face. Nevertheless, W.A.R.A. remote therapy might offer a fast relief, especially when personal contact is difficult.

Tele‐medicine and improvement of mental health problems in COVID‐19 pandemic: A systematic review

“…On the contrary, in Weerkamp‐Bartholomeus et al. study (Weerkamp‐Bartholomeus et al., 2020 ), although the remote therapy significantly reduced the negative affect but they showed the preference of face to face therapy. This result is in line with findings of a RCT of 325 Chicago‐area primary care patients with major depressive disorder who received Telephone‐administered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (T‐CBT) versus face to face Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and it was revealed that although Patients showed significant improvement in depression across both treatments but those receiving face‐to‐face CBT were less depressed than those receiving T‐CBT (Mohr et al., 2012 ).…”

“…Participants were individuals prone to mental illnesses like depression and GAD due to the COVID‐19 pandemic and its consequences on lifestyle. Interventions in these studies consisted of a wide range of telecommunication methods, including telephone contacts (Alessi et al., 2021 , 2022 ; Kahlon et al., 2021 ; Lai, Yan, et al., 2020 ), messaging platforms (Aguilera et al., 2021 ), online methods, for example, videoconference, and online apps (Al‐Alawi et al., 2021 ; Fiol‐DeRoque et al., 2021 ; Lai, Yan, et al., 2020 ; Sanchez‐Guarnido et al., 2021 ; Shapira et al., 2021 ; Summers et al., 2021 ; Watts et al., 2020 ; Weerkamp‐Bartholomeus et al., 2020 ). The outcome assessment was different between the articles.…”

“…face-to-face than after W.A.R.A. remote therapy (p < 0.001)(Weerkamp-Bartholomeus et al, 2020).In another RCT study conducted byAlessi et al, 58 individuals with a previous diagnosis of type 1 diabetes with regular follow-up in two public care centers in Southern Brazil were selected. Twenty-nine participants were in the intervention group that received weekly telephone contacts with the appointment protocol prepared by a multidisciplinary team that lasted 16 weeks.…”

Peer involvement and accessibility as key ingredients for 21st century youth mental health care services

“…Crisis situations, however, may also stimulate creativity, resulting in innovative initiatives. During this pandemic, the already ongoing digitalization of our society has overcome its last persistent hurdles, with results that have indeed been promising 3 . This offers opportunities for implementation of mHealth interventions that are transdiagnostic and empowering, probably particularly suitable for the next generation of help‐seeking (emerging) adults 4 , as they completely grew up in a digitalized world.…”