Investigating the Mechanisms of Change in the Unified Protocol Treatment: A Non-Randomized Trial on Transdiagnostic Factors
Keywords:
Emotion regulation, evidence-based treatment, mediator, transdiagnostic, unified protocolAbstract
Objective: To investigate how emotion regulation mediates treatment outcomes using the Unified Protocol for transdiagnostic emotional disorder treatment.
Method: A non-randomized trial was conducted from December 2021 to May 2022 in Islamabad. A purposive sampling technique was employed, with 15 patients experiencing depression and anxiety completing a 14-week treatment program utilizing the Unified Protocol. The Beck depression inventory, the Beck anxiety inventory, and the difficulties in emotion regulation scale were administered during the baseline, mid-treatment, and post-treatment phases.
Results: The results indicated a significant reduction in the outcome measures for all the participants, as the treatment decreased anxiety, depression, and difficulties in emotion regulation. Additionally, the findings indicated that difficulties in controlling impulses and limited access to emotion regulation strategies were able to predict 72% and 33% variation in anxiety and depression scores, respectively.
Conclusion: Emotion regulation has the potential to act as a mediating factor and predict treatment outcomes in transdiagnostic therapy using the Unified Protocol.