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Can online group therapy match In-Person for treating anxiety and depression?

NCT ID NCT07715604

Symptom relief Sponsor: University of Coimbra Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jul 20, 2026 · Last updated Jul 21, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tests a therapy called the Unified Protocol, designed to help people with emotional disorders like anxiety and depression by improving emotional regulation. Researchers compare delivering the therapy in online group sessions versus in-person group sessions to see if both are equally acceptable and effective. Fifty-four adults with a primary diagnosis of an anxiety or mood disorder participate, with outcomes measured over six months.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Unified Protocol, a cognitive-behavioral therapy program delivered in group sessions either online or in-person
What this could lead to
If successful, this could show that online group therapy is as effective as in-person sessions, making treatment more accessible for people with anxiety or depression.
What could go wrong
This is a small study with 54 participants, so results may not apply broadly. The therapy may work differently for different people, and online delivery might not suit everyone.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

54 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

May 2023

Finished

Aug 2025

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * age ≥ 18; * be Fluent in Portuguese; * a score greater than 9 on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9; Ferreira et al., 2019) and/or a score of 8 or higher on the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7; Sousa et al., 2015); * principal diagnosis (most interfering and severe) of an emotional disorder (i.e. anxiety, depression and other related disorder) according to DSM-5 criteria * be able to attend treatment sessions and assessments, regardless of the therapeutic format (online and in-person); * participants taking pharmacological treatment will be asked to maintain the same dosages and medications for at least 1 month prior to the start of treatment and during treatment; * to have access to a computer or mobile phone with Internet and Webcam; Exclusion Criteria: * current diagnosis of severe mental disorder (e.g., bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, eating disorders), moderate to severe substance use disorder or there is suicide risk at the time of assessment * not being able to participate in more than half of the intervention program sessions * to have previously received at least 8 sessions of psychological treatment consisting of cognitive-behavioral principles * currently receiving other psychological treatment.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

anxiety anxiety disorder Depression depressive disorder mental disorder mood disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Anxiety Depression Emotional disorder

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences

    Coimbra, Coimbra District, 3000-115, Portugal

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