Publications by authors named "B Aas"
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a global health crisis and a significant increase in psychological distress and psychopathological symptoms. We conducted a randomized controlled trial with two online interventions derived from positive psychology (PP) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) in N = 138 "homestayers" during the first lock-down period in Germany. PP exercises had a positive impact on anxiety scores, which decreased significantly during the intervention, particularly in participants without access to a garden.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Researchers wanted to find better ways to help young people avoid mental health problems, especially depression.
- They tested three different apps: one that helps build emotional skills, one based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and one for keeping track of feelings.
- The study included 1,262 young people from several countries, and they checked how the apps helped reduce depression symptoms after three months.
Emotional competence self-help mobile phone app versus cognitive behavioural self-help app versus self-monitoring app to promote mental wellbeing in healthy young adults (ECoWeB PROMOTE): an international, multicentre, parallel, open-label, randomised controlled trial.
Lancet Digit Health
December 2024
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the effectiveness of three different self-help apps aimed at improving mental wellbeing among young people, specifically comparing a personalised emotional competence app, a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) app, and a self-monitoring app.
- Conducted as a randomised controlled trial across four countries, the research involved 2532 young participants aged 16-22 without major depression, who were monitored for 12 months to assess changes in mental wellbeing.
- The primary measurement for evaluating success was the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well Being Scale (WEMWBS) at a 3-month follow-up, ensuring that the outcomes were objectively assessed by unaware evaluators.
Using Progress Feedback to Enhance Treatment Outcomes: A Narrative Review.
Adm Policy Ment Health
January 2025
Article Synopsis
- There is a growing need for better access to effective mental health services, including telehealth, but outcomes in routine clinical practice are often lower than those in controlled trials.
- Progress feedback, which involves ongoing monitoring of patient treatment responses, is an underused evidence-based practice that could enhance treatment effectiveness.
- Recent reviews indicate that integrating feedback into various mental health interventions shows small to medium improvements, particularly for common mental health issues, and suggests that advanced technology and clinical tools can further strengthen its impact.
The best of both worlds? General principles of psychopathology in personalized assessment.
J Psychopathol Clin Sci
October 2023
A complex systems approach to psychopathology proposes that general principles lie in the dynamic patterns of psychopathology, which are not restricted to specific psychological processes like symptoms or affect. Hence, it must be possible to find general change profiles in time series data of fully personalized questionnaires. In the current study, we examined general change profiles in personalized self-ratings and related these to four measures of treatment outcome (International Symptom Rating, 21-item Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale, daily symptom severity, and self-reflective capacity).
View Article and Find Full Text PDF