The GET READY relapse prevention programme for anxiety and depression: a mixed-methods study protocol

Abstract

BackgroundSince anxiety and depressive disorders often recur, self-management competencies are crucial for improving the long-term course of anxiety and depressive disorders. However, few relapse prevention programmes are available that focus on improving self-management. E-health combined with personal contact with a mental health professional in general practice might be a promising approach for relapse prevention. In this protocol, the GET READY (Guided E-healTh for RElapse prevention in Anxiety and Depression) study will be described in which a relapse prevention programme is developed, implemented and evaluated. The aim of the study is to determine patients’ usage of the programme and the associated course of their symptoms, to examine barriers and facilitators of implementation, and to assess patients’ satisfaction with the programme.MethodsParticipants are discharged from mental healthcare services, and are in complete or partial remission. They receive access to an E-health platform, combined with regular contact with a mental health professional in general practices. Online questionnaires will be completed at baseline and after 3, 6 and 9 months. Also, semi-structured qualitative individual interviews and focus group interviews will be conducted with patients and mental health professionals.DiscussionThis mixed-methods observational cohort study will provide insights into the use of a relapse prevention programme in relation to the occurrence of symptoms, as well as in its implementation and evaluation. Using the results of this study, the relapse prevention programme can be adapted in accordance with the needs of patients and mental health professionals. If this programme is shown to be acceptable, a randomized controlled trial may be conducted to test its efficacy.Trial registrationRetrospectively registered in the Netherlands Trial Register (NTR7574; 25 October 2018).Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12888-019-2034-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Self-Management in Anxiety and Depression: A Psychometric Evaluation of a Questionnaire

“…This is a cross-sectional study that uses data from two separate studies: the GET READY study ( Krijnen-De Bruin et al, 2019 ) and the SemCAD study ( Zoun et al, 2016 ). These two studies were combined to increase the sample size and to assess the ASAD among patients who display the complete range of symptom severity, from mild to severe symptoms.…”

“…This data was collected between April 2017 and November 2018. Further details on the GET READY study have been published previously ( Krijnen-De Bruin et al, 2019 ).…”

“…Written informed consent was obtained from all participants, and a Medical Ethics Committee approved both study protocols ( Zoun et al, 2016 ; Krijnen-De Bruin et al, 2019 ). Given that the ASAD was developed for and with patients with chronic anxiety and/or depressive disorders, and we were seeking to psychometrically assess the ASAD among patients who matched these criteria, we included patients with at least mild symptoms in our analyses.…”

Evaluation of a Blended Relapse Prevention Program for Anxiety and Depression in General Practice: Qualitative Study

“…The Medical Ethical Committee of the VU University Medical Center Amsterdam judged that ethical approval was not required according to Dutch legislation. The methods of the full GET READY study are described in detail in the study protocol [21]. The GET READY program consists of 3 core components: (1) relapse psychoeducation module, (2) relapse prevention plan, and (3) weekly diary in which patients can monitor their symptoms.…”

“…This article describes findings from a qualitative study conducted as part of the GET READY (Guided E-healTh for RElapse prevention in Anxiety and Depression) study [21], in which a blended relapse prevention program tailored to the patients' preferences [22] was developed and tested. The overall aims of the GET READY study were to implement and evaluate the GET READY relapse prevention program.…”