IMPROVE 2
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Implementing Multifactorial Psychotherapy Research in Online Virtual Environments 2: A fractional factorial randomised trial delivering internet psychotherapy for depression
IRAS ID
157615
Contact name
Edward Watkins
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Of Exeter
ISRCTN Number
ISRCTN24117387
Research summary
The goal of this research is to better understand the active ingredients of online cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) so that we can build stronger, better and more widely available psychological treatments. Although clinical trials have shown that CBT can reduce depression, we still don’t have a good idea of how exactly the therapy works. In particular, although CBT has many different elements and ingredients, we don’t know which of these elements facilitate improvement, or indeed whether particular combinations of these elements may be more beneficial. This is in part a consequence of previous clinical trials, which have tended to compare one treatment package with another treatment package or with a placebo or no-treatment control condition, in “a horse race” to see which treatment does better. The alternative approach proposed here uses a fractional factorial experimental design where different combinations of the components within a treatment package are compared against each other in a trial to determine which of these treatment elements may be beneficial, inert, or even unhelpful. In this trial, participants will be randomly allocated to different combinations of therapy which are delivered online through an internet therapy platform. Their therapy will be supported with online written feedback from a psychological wellbeing practitioner (PWP) who is based in Cornwall.
Patients of the BEME Improving Access to Psychological Therapy Service primary care mental health service who meet criteria (as detailed in the study protocol) will be invited to complete an introductory module of the therapy and to take part in telephone screening to see if they would be willing to take part in the trial. Each participant would be in the trial for approximately 10 months (2 months treatment plus 6 months follow up) and the study will run for 30 months to allow recruitment of sufficient numbers of participants.REC name
South West - Frenchay Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/SW/1091
Date of REC Opinion
7 Nov 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion