TY - JOUR
T1 - Long-term outcomes of once weekly v. twice weekly sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal psychotherapy for depression
AU - Bruijniks, Sanne J E
AU - Hollon, Steven D
AU - Lemmens, Lotte H. J. M.
AU - Peeters, Frenk P. M. L.
AU - Arntz, Arnoud
AU - Cuijpers, Pim
AU - Twisk, Jos
AU - Dingemanse, Pieter
AU - Willems, Linda
AU - van Oppen, Patricia
AU - van den Boogaard, Michael
AU - Spijker, Jan
AU - Huibers, Marcus J H
PY - 2023/9/4
Y1 - 2023/9/4
N2 - BACKGROUND: Twice weekly sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) for major depressive disorder (MDD) lead to less drop-out and quicker and better response compared to once weekly sessions at posttreatment, but it is unclear whether these effects hold over the long run. AIMS: Compare the effects of twice weekly weekly sessions of CBT and IPT for depression up to 24 months since the start of treatment. METHODS: Using a 2 × 2 factorial design, this multicentre study randomized 200 adults with MDD to once or twice weekly sessions of CBT or IPT over 16-24 weeks, up to a maximum of 20 sessions. Main outcome measures were depression severity, measured with the Beck Depression Inventory-II and the Longitudinal Interval Follow-up Evaluation. Intention-to-treat analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Compared with patients who received once weekly sessions, patients who received twice weekly sessions showed a significant decrease in depressive symptoms up through month 9, but this effect was no longer apparent at month 24. Patients who received CBT showed a significantly larger decrease in depressive symptoms up to month 24 compared to patients who received IPT, but the between-group effect size at month 24 was small. No differential effects between session frequencies or treatment modalities were found in response or relapse rates. CONCLUSIONS: Although a higher session frequency leads to better outcomes in the acute phase of treatment, the difference in depression severity dissipated over time and there was no significant difference in relapse.
AB - BACKGROUND: Twice weekly sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) for major depressive disorder (MDD) lead to less drop-out and quicker and better response compared to once weekly sessions at posttreatment, but it is unclear whether these effects hold over the long run. AIMS: Compare the effects of twice weekly weekly sessions of CBT and IPT for depression up to 24 months since the start of treatment. METHODS: Using a 2 × 2 factorial design, this multicentre study randomized 200 adults with MDD to once or twice weekly sessions of CBT or IPT over 16-24 weeks, up to a maximum of 20 sessions. Main outcome measures were depression severity, measured with the Beck Depression Inventory-II and the Longitudinal Interval Follow-up Evaluation. Intention-to-treat analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Compared with patients who received once weekly sessions, patients who received twice weekly sessions showed a significant decrease in depressive symptoms up through month 9, but this effect was no longer apparent at month 24. Patients who received CBT showed a significantly larger decrease in depressive symptoms up to month 24 compared to patients who received IPT, but the between-group effect size at month 24 was small. No differential effects between session frequencies or treatment modalities were found in response or relapse rates. CONCLUSIONS: Although a higher session frequency leads to better outcomes in the acute phase of treatment, the difference in depression severity dissipated over time and there was no significant difference in relapse.
KW - Cognitive behavioral therapy
KW - depression
KW - interpersonal psychotherapy
KW - long-term effects
U2 - 10.1017/S0033291723002143
DO - 10.1017/S0033291723002143
M3 - Article
SN - 0033-2917
JO - Psychological Medicine
JF - Psychological Medicine
ER -