Randomized clinical trial comparing the effects of an asynchronous mobile application to guided brief cognitive behavioral therapy for managing anxiety among medical students
Abstract Objective Medical students are a population at increased risk for anxiety due to their demanding schedule and concerns about potential stigmatization, which often discourage them from seeking help. It has been reported that the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic worsened this issue by...
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Associação de Psiquiatria do Rio Grande do Sul
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Trends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy |
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| Online Access: | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2237-60892025000100506&lng=en&tlng=en |
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| author | Andrian Fajar Kusumadewi Carla Raymondalexas Marchira Doni Widyandana Ronny Tri Wirasto |
| author_facet | Andrian Fajar Kusumadewi Carla Raymondalexas Marchira Doni Widyandana Ronny Tri Wirasto |
| author_sort | Andrian Fajar Kusumadewi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Objective Medical students are a population at increased risk for anxiety due to their demanding schedule and concerns about potential stigmatization, which often discourage them from seeking help. It has been reported that the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic worsened this issue by restricting social interaction and mobility. An innovative method has been developed to address this problem, known as the asynchronous Digital Cognitive Education Gadjah Mada Anxiety Intervention for Medical Students (DCE GAMA-AIMS). Compared to traditional therapy, this modality can be accessed independently without the guidance of a therapist. The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of DCE GAMA-AIMS compared to therapist-guided brief cognitive behavioral therapy (bCBT) for reducing anxiety scores. Methods A non-blinded randomized clinical trial (RCT) was conducted with 66 medical students. The participants were equally divided into two groups, an intervention and a control group. The intervention group was given DCE GAMA-AIMS, while guided bCBT was administered to the controls. The data obtained were analyzed using independent t tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results The application had a significant effect, reducing anxiety scores from the 2nd week (M Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale [TMAS] = 18) to the 8th week (M TMAS = 13). A faster and more significant improvement was observed in the intervention group from the 1st to the 2nd week compared to the controls, who began to improve in the 4th week. Furthermore, the intervention group had larger effect size (1.32) compared to the control (0.79) from the 1st to 8th weeks. Conclusion Asynchronous DCE GAMA-AIMS and guided bCBT both reduced TMAS scores in medical students with anxiety, but DCE GAMA-AIMS yielded a larger effect size. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e86d5e6532a8417d9ed77bdc8da3c7d2 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2238-0019 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Associação de Psiquiatria do Rio Grande do Sul |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Trends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy |
| spelling | doaj-art-e86d5e6532a8417d9ed77bdc8da3c7d22025-08-20T02:29:04ZengAssociação de Psiquiatria do Rio Grande do SulTrends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy2238-00192025-05-014710.47626/2237-6089-2023-0713Randomized clinical trial comparing the effects of an asynchronous mobile application to guided brief cognitive behavioral therapy for managing anxiety among medical studentsAndrian Fajar Kusumadewihttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-6610-2470Carla Raymondalexas MarchiraDoni WidyandanaRonny Tri WirastoAbstract Objective Medical students are a population at increased risk for anxiety due to their demanding schedule and concerns about potential stigmatization, which often discourage them from seeking help. It has been reported that the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic worsened this issue by restricting social interaction and mobility. An innovative method has been developed to address this problem, known as the asynchronous Digital Cognitive Education Gadjah Mada Anxiety Intervention for Medical Students (DCE GAMA-AIMS). Compared to traditional therapy, this modality can be accessed independently without the guidance of a therapist. The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of DCE GAMA-AIMS compared to therapist-guided brief cognitive behavioral therapy (bCBT) for reducing anxiety scores. Methods A non-blinded randomized clinical trial (RCT) was conducted with 66 medical students. The participants were equally divided into two groups, an intervention and a control group. The intervention group was given DCE GAMA-AIMS, while guided bCBT was administered to the controls. The data obtained were analyzed using independent t tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results The application had a significant effect, reducing anxiety scores from the 2nd week (M Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale [TMAS] = 18) to the 8th week (M TMAS = 13). A faster and more significant improvement was observed in the intervention group from the 1st to the 2nd week compared to the controls, who began to improve in the 4th week. Furthermore, the intervention group had larger effect size (1.32) compared to the control (0.79) from the 1st to 8th weeks. Conclusion Asynchronous DCE GAMA-AIMS and guided bCBT both reduced TMAS scores in medical students with anxiety, but DCE GAMA-AIMS yielded a larger effect size.http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2237-60892025000100506&lng=en&tlng=enMedical studentsanxietymobile applicationpsychotherapybrief CBT |
| spellingShingle | Andrian Fajar Kusumadewi Carla Raymondalexas Marchira Doni Widyandana Ronny Tri Wirasto Randomized clinical trial comparing the effects of an asynchronous mobile application to guided brief cognitive behavioral therapy for managing anxiety among medical students Trends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Medical students anxiety mobile application psychotherapy brief CBT |
| title | Randomized clinical trial comparing the effects of an asynchronous mobile application to guided brief cognitive behavioral therapy for managing anxiety among medical students |
| title_full | Randomized clinical trial comparing the effects of an asynchronous mobile application to guided brief cognitive behavioral therapy for managing anxiety among medical students |
| title_fullStr | Randomized clinical trial comparing the effects of an asynchronous mobile application to guided brief cognitive behavioral therapy for managing anxiety among medical students |
| title_full_unstemmed | Randomized clinical trial comparing the effects of an asynchronous mobile application to guided brief cognitive behavioral therapy for managing anxiety among medical students |
| title_short | Randomized clinical trial comparing the effects of an asynchronous mobile application to guided brief cognitive behavioral therapy for managing anxiety among medical students |
| title_sort | randomized clinical trial comparing the effects of an asynchronous mobile application to guided brief cognitive behavioral therapy for managing anxiety among medical students |
| topic | Medical students anxiety mobile application psychotherapy brief CBT |
| url | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2237-60892025000100506&lng=en&tlng=en |
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