Efficacy of an Internet-based Self-help Intervention with Human Guidance or Automated Messages to Alleviate Loneliness: A Three-Armed Randomized Controlled Trial

Seewer, Noëmi; Skoko, Andrej; Käll, Anton; Andersson, Gerhard; Luhmann, Maike; Berger, Thomas; Krieger, Tobias (27 June 2023). Efficacy of an Internet-based Self-help Intervention with Human Guidance or Automated Messages to Alleviate Loneliness: A Three-Armed Randomized Controlled Trial Research Square 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3005279/v1

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Loneliness is a prevalent and stigmatized phenomenon associated with adverse (mental) health outcomes. However, evidence-based interventions to alleviate loneliness are scarce. This randomized controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.gov-ID: NCT04655196) evaluated the efficacy of an internet-based cognitive behavioral self-help intervention (ICBT) to reduce loneliness by comparing two intervention groups with guidance or automated messages against a waitlist control group. Adults (N = 243) suffering from loneliness were recruited from the general public and then randomly assigned (2:2:1) to a 10-week ICBT with human guidance (GU) or automated messages (AM) or to a waitlist control group (WL). Loneliness, assessed with the UCLA-9, was the primary outcome. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and 10 weeks (post) and analyzed using mixed-effects models. The pooled intervention conditions resulted in lower loneliness scores at post-assessment than the WL (Cohen’s d = 0.57, 95%-CI [0.25; 0.89]) and reduced depressive symptoms, social anxiety, social avoidance behavior, and rejection sensitivity (d = 0.32–0.52). The GU group had lower loneliness scores at post-assessment than the AM group (d = 0.42, 95%-CI [0.13; 0.70]). ICBT effectively alleviated loneliness, and guidance increased the reduction in loneliness compared to automated messages. Alleviating loneliness with ICBT further seems to reduce the overall burden of psychopathological symptoms.

Item Type:

Working Paper

Division/Institute:

07 Faculty of Human Sciences > Institute of Psychology > Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy
07 Faculty of Human Sciences > Institute of Psychology

UniBE Contributor:

Seewer, Noëmi, Skoko, Andrej, Berger, Thomas (B), Krieger, Tobias

Subjects:

100 Philosophy > 150 Psychology
600 Technology > 610 Medicine & health

ISSN:

2693-5015

Publisher:

Research Square

Language:

English

Submitter:

Alina Kneubühler

Date Deposited:

31 Aug 2023 16:06

Last Modified:

22 Jul 2024 07:49

Publisher DOI:

10.21203/rs.3.rs-3005279/v1

BORIS DOI:

10.48350/185876

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/185876

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