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Background: Behavioral activation has gained increasing attention as an effective treatment for depression. However, the effectiveness of Behavioral Activation Group Therapy (BAGT) in controlled conditions compared to its self-help programs requires more investigation. The present study aimed to compare their effectiveness on depressive symptoms, repetitive negative thinking (RNT), and performance in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods: In this randomized clinical trial, 40 patients diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) were recruited based on a structured clinical interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5). Participants were allocated to BAGT (n = 20) and self-help behavioral activation (SBA; n = 20) groups. BAGT received ten weekly sessions (90 min), while the SBA group followed the same protocol as the self-help intervention. Participants were evaluated at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and the 2-month follow-up using the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), repetitive thinking questionnaire (RTQ-31), and work and social adjustment scale (WSAS). Results: The results of a Mixed ANOVA analysis revealed that participants who underwent BAGT showed significant improvement in depression, rumination, work, and social functioning post-treatment and at the 2-month follow-up. However, the SBA group did not show significant changes in any outcome. The study also found that, based on clinical significance, 68% of the BAGT participants were responsive to treatment, and 31% achieved a high final performance status at the 2-month follow-up. Discussion: BAGT was more effective than SBA in MDD patients. Participants' engagement with self-help treatment is discussed. Trial registration: The present trial has been registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials Center (IRCT ID: IRCT20181128041782N1|| http://www.irct.ir/) (Registration Date: 04/03/2019). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the high rate of comorbidity among different types of emotional disorders in children, Transdiagnostic Unified Protocol of Emotional disorder in children (UP-C) was developed to address common underlying mechanisms in the development and maintenance of emotional disorders using empirically supported cognitive and behavioural strategies. Although, studies supported the effectiveness of this protocol in the treatment of wide range of emotional disorders, further studies are needed to examine its effect on transdiagnostic factors. The present study aimed to investigate the efficacy of the UP-C on negative affect, anxiety sensitivity and perceived control in children with emotional disorders. During this randomized controlled trial, 34 children aged 7 to 13 with emotional disorders were randomly assigned to treatment (n=18) and control (n=16) groups. The treatment group and their parents received 15 sessions of UP-C. Negative Affect Schedule for Children (PANASNA-C), Children’s Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CASI), Anxiety Control Questionnaire-Children (ACQ-C) were carried out in all phases (pre-treatment, post-treatment, 3 and 8 months follow-up). The results showed that following UP-C, negative affect (hedges’g=2.01) and anxiety sensitivity (hedges’g=1.05) were significantly reduced, and perceived control (hedges’g= – 2.36) was significantly improved. The results remained relatively constant during the follow-ups. Findings provide evidence that the UP-C has significant effect on negative affect, anxiety sensitivity and perceived control as roots of emotional disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective and Background: Academic procrastination as deliberate postponement of academic tasks, despite being aware of its consequences, is a common phenomenon among students. Current conceptualizations of procrastination support the rule of emotion regulation difficulties in the psychopathology of this phenomenon. In this regard, the current study is aimed to investigate the role of difficulty in emotion regulation in academic procrastination. Method: The present study is a cross-sectional study. Participants were 250 students who completed Tuckman Procrastination Scale (TPS), and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS). Result: Correlation analyses showed that the TPS has a significant positive association on overall DERS and all but one of the six dimensions (DERS-Awareness) of emotion regulation difficulties (p < 0.01). This association remained significant after controlling for anxiety and depression. Further, the multivariate regression showed that the only DERS dimension that could predict TPS was DERS-Strategies. Finally, individuals with a high level of procrastination reported greater DERS scores than those with a lower level. Discussion: Results indicate that difficulty in emotion regulation, especially the ones' believe about his/her ability in regulating unpleasant emotions effectively, is important in procrastination. However, despite the limited association between DERS and TPS, the findings raise some potentially useful implications for procrastination studies and interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is a transdiagnostic structure that plays an important role in developing and maintaining symptoms of emotional disorders. The current study was aimed to investigate the mediational role of IU and its components in reducing symptoms of emotional disorders. Method: This was a double-blind randomized clinical trial. Based on the Beck anxiety inventory and Beck depression inventory 26 individuals were selected. They were randomly assigned into two groups of control and treatment (n=13) using random number generator 3.1.v software. The treatment group received 20 one-hour sessions of Unified Protocol (UP) for the transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorders. Beck depression inventory, the Beck anxiety inventory, and Intolerance of uncertainty scale were performed in pre, post and three months follow-up. Data were analyzed by SPSS-20 software. Results: After controlling the effect of IU, the results of one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) showed a significant reduction in the difference between the two groups (P<0.05); which means that IU can be considered as a mediator of reductions in anxiety and depression in UP. The results of the stepwise regression analysis indicated that prospective IU and inhibitory IU could explain 61.4% and 8.2% of variances in anxiety scores, respectively. In predicting changes in depression score, only inhibitory IU could explain depression variance (43.3%). Discussion: The best predictor of the changes in the anxiety and depression are, respectively, prospective IU and inhibitory IU. Conclusion. This study shows that UP may exert its effect by improving different components of IU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transdiagnostic approaches emphasize on the share underlying features of emotional disorders. In their view, these transdiagnostic factors play an important role in the etiology, maintenance, and treatment of emotional disorders. This study aimed to investigate the transdiagnostic factors as the potential mechanisms of change in the Unified Protocol (UP) for the transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorders outcomes. The present study is a randomized clinical trial. Twenty-six individuals were selected based on the Beck anxiety inventory and Beck depression inventory and randomly assigned into two groups of control and treatment (n=13). The treatment group received 20 one-hour individual UP sessions. Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Difficulty in emotion regulation scale, Intolerance of Uncertainty scale and Acceptance and Action questionnaire were carried out in all three phases. UP enhances the difficulty in emotion regulation (large effect size, SEsg=1.81), intolerance of uncertainty (SEsg=1.91), and experiential avoidance (SEsg=1.78). In addition, the results of linear regression show the association between changes in anxiety and depression with changes in transdiagnostic factors. The difficulty in emotion regulation, intolerance of uncertainty and experiential avoidance can be considered as the potential mechanism of change in improving UP outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: An important subject in evaluation of the efficacy of treatments is to examine how the intervention is effective and to identify the consequences of that treatment. In this regard, the current study investigates the role of emotion regulation as the mediator of the treatment outcomes of therapy using the Unified Protocol (UP) for transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorders. Method: This article describes a double-blind randomized clinical trial. A sample of 26 individuals was selected based on cut-off scores for the Beck Depression Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory and their final diagnoses were confirmed with the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-IV (ADIS-IV). The sample was randomly divided into two groups: control and treatment (13 patients each). The treatment group received 20 one-hour UP sessions. The Beck Depression Inventory, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale were administered at two stages, pre-treatment and post-treatment. Results: The UP reduced anxiety and depression in patients through improvement in emotion regulation. Furthermore, the results showed that the difficulty engaging in goal-directed behavior and non-acceptance of emotional response subscales were capable of predicting 62% of variance in anxiety scores. In turn, two subscales, difficulty engaging in goal-directed behavior and lack of emotional clarity, predicted 72% of variance in depression scores. Conclusion: Emotion regulation can be considered as a potential mediating factor and as predictive of outcomes of transdiagnostic treatment based on the UP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is considered as prevalent, chronic, and debilitating, with complex symptomatology. Various theories and psychopathological models have been purposed to explain SAD. This article will try to focus and emphasis on the concept of Anxiety Sensitivity (AS) and its role in perceiving anxiety and its treatment. The AS refers to the fear of "somatic sensations" related to anxiety and seems to play an important role in the onset and maintenance of anxiety disorders, including SAD. It seems that AS can play a role in various ways, such as fear of showing anxiety related somatic symptoms, fear of cognitive dyscontrol, and fear of losing control of mental abilities. Considering the SAD etiological models, they generally emphasize on the role of cognitive processing and underlying vulnerabilities in the development of this disorder. However, these models have not considered the role of AS directly, but the precise investigation of etiological models showed that the core elements of these models have implicitly regarded this construct. Altogether, incorporating Anxiety Sensitivity into the treatment model could further enhance the understanding of the symptomatology, as well as its dynamic and treatment modality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the high rate of comorbidity among different types of emotional disorders in children, Transdiagnostic Unified Protocol of Emotional disorder in children (UP-C) was developed to address common underlying mechanisms in the development and maintenance of emotional disorders using empirically supported cognitive and behavioural strategies. Although, studies supported the effectiveness of this protocol in the treatment of wide range of emotional disorders, further studies are needed to examine its effect on transdiagnostic factors. The present study aimed to investigate the efficacy of the UP-C on negative affect, anxiety sensitivity and perceived control in children with emotional disorders. During this randomized controlled trial, 34 children aged 7 to 13 with emotional disorders were randomly assigned to treatment (n=18) and control (n=16) groups. The treatment group and their parents received 15 sessions of UP-C. Negative Affect Schedule for Children (PANASNA- C), Children's Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CASI), Anxiety Control Questionnaire-Children (ACQ-C) were carried out in all phases (pre-treatment, post-treatment, 3 and 8 months follow- up). The results showed that following UP-C, negative affect (hedges'g=2.01) and anxiety sensitivity (hedges'g=1.05) were significantly reduced, and perceived control (hedges'g= -2.36) was significantly improved. The results remained relatively constant during the follow-ups. Findings provide evidence that the UP-C has significant effect on negative affect, anxiety sensitivity and perceived control as roots of emotional disorders.

Transdiagnostic approaches emphasize on the share underlying features of emotional disorders. In their view, these transdiagnostic factors play an important role in the etiology, maintenance, and treatment of emotional disorders. This study aimed to investigate the transdiagnostic factors as the potential mechanisms of change in the Unified Protocol (UP) for the transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorders outcomes. The present study is a randomized clinical trial. Twenty-six individuals were selected based on the Beck anxiety inventory and Beck depression inventory and randomly assigned into two groups of control and treatment (n=13). The treatment group received 20 one-hour individual UP sessions. Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Difficulty in emotion regulation scale, Intolerance of Uncertainty scale and Acceptance and Action questionnaire were carried out in all three phases. UP enhances the difficulty in emotion regulation (large effect size, SEsg=1.81), intolerance of uncertainty (SEsg=1.91), and experiential avoidance (SEsg=1.78). In addition, the results of linear regression show the association between changes in anxiety and depression with changes in transdiagnostic factors. The difficulty in emotion regulation, intolerance of uncertainty and experiential avoidance can be considered as the potential mechanism of change in improving UP outcomes., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: the authors declare no potential conflict of interest., (©Copyright: the Author(s).)