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Objective This open-trial study examined effects of a culturally-adapted Hebrew version of guided internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy (ICBT) for depression. We examined therapeutic alliance with the therapist and with the programme (content) as potential predictors of outcomes. Furthermore, we examined whether anxious and avoidant attachment styles improved, although relationships were not the focus of treatment. Method: We examined alliance with therapist and alliance with programme and their time-lagged (1 week), longitudinal relationship with depression outcomes, and change in anxious and avoidant attachment during treatment. Results: Depression and insomnia improved significantly (Cohen's d: depression = 1.34, insomnia = 0.86), though dropout was relatively high (49%). Alliance with programme and with the therapist predicted adherence and dropout, whereas only alliance with therapist predicted symptom improvement. Avoidant attachment decreased over treatment whereas anxious attachment did not. Conclusion: A culturally-adapted version of ICBT for depression showed that alliance with therapist and alliance with programme both can play an important role in its effectiveness: alliance with programme and the therapist drive adherence and dropout and alliance with therapist is related to symptom improvement. Although the focus of treatment is not interpersonal, avoidant attachment style can improve following ICBT., Funding Agencies|Israel National Institute for Health Policy Research

Many individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD) have depressive symptoms that meet criteria for major depressive disorder (MDD). In our study, we examined the temporal relationship between symptoms of social anxiety and symptoms of depression during the course of an 11-week internet-delivered cognitive behavioral treatment (ICBT) for SAD (n = 170). Specifically, we investigated whether weekly changes in social anxiety mediated changes in depression, changes in depression mediated changes in anxiety, both or neither. In addition, we compared individuals with SAD and MDD (n = 50) and individuals with SAD and no MDD (n = 120) to examine the role of MDD as a moderator of the social anxiety-depression relationship. Lower-level mediational modeling revealed that changes in social anxiety symptoms mediated changes in depression symptoms to a greater extent than vice versa. In addition, mediation among individuals with SAD and MDD was significantly greater compared to individuals with SAD and no MDD. Our findings suggest that ICBT is effective in treating individuals with SAD regardless of comorbid depression, and that focusing ICBT interventions on social anxiety can lead to significant reductions in depression among individuals with SAD., Funding Agencies|Israel Science Foundation [1603/19]

Individuals with Panic Disorder (PD) often have impaired insight, which can impede their willingness to seek treatment. Cognitive processes, including metacognitive beliefs, cognitive flexibility, and jumping to conclusions (JTC) may influence the degree of insight. By understanding the relationship between insight and these cognitive factors in PD, we can better identify individuals with such vulnerabilities to improve their insight. The aim of this study is to examine the relationships between metacognition, cognitive flexibility, and JTC with clinical and cognitive insight at pretreatment. We investigate the association among those factors changes and changes in insight over treatment. Eighty-three patients diagnosed with PD received internet-based cognitive behavior therapy. Analyses revealed that metacognition was related to both clinical and cognitive insight, and cognitive flexibility was related to clinical insight at pre-treatment. Greater changes in metacognition were correlated with greater changes in clinical insight. Also, greater changes in cognitive flexibility were related to greater changes in cognitive insight. The current study extends previous studies suggesting potential relationships among insight, metacognition, and cognitive flexibility in PD. Determining the role of cognitive concepts in relation to insight may lead to new avenues for improving insight and can have implications for engagement and treatment-seeking behaviors., Funding Agencies|Israel National Institute for Health Policy Research [2015/181]