Comparing the effectiveness of transdiagnostic psychotherapy and compassion-based psychotherapy on anxiety sensitivity, ambivalence, metacognitive beliefs and emotions in patients with generalized anxiety disorder

Determining the difference in effectiveness of transdiagnostic psychotherapy and compassion-focused psychotherapy on anxiety sensitivity, metacognitive beliefs, metaemotions and ambivalence in patients with generalized anxiety disorder

A clinical trial with two interventions and one control group with one-sided blind parallel groups on 45 subjects. JPower software was used for the randomizer

A semi-experimental design of three groups will be used for the implementation of therapeutic interventions and for competitive validation, the first group of meta-diagnostic psychotherapy, the second group of psychotherapy based on self-compassion, and the third control group, along with pre-test and post-test and continuous follow-up. The statistical population consisted of people suffering from generalized anxiety disorder who referred to the psychological service centers of Mashhad, who will enter the research process after the diagnostic interview and confirmation of the main diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder by a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist. The people present in the groups were informed about the intervention method does not have (one-way blinding)

1-Diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder 2-Having minimum cycle education and sufficient motivation to participate in the meetings 3- Age range between 18 and 50 years

Three groups will be used for the implementation of therapeutic interventions, the 1st group of meta-diagnostic psychotherapy, the 2nd group of psychotherapy based on self-compassion, and the third control group, along with pre-test and post-test and continuous follow-up were used.

Anxiety sensitivity, metacognitive beliefs, metaemotions and ambivalence

"In this study, a simple randomization method was used to randomly assign participants to the intervention and control groups. Initially, a list of all eligible participants was created, and each was assigned a unique identification code. Subsequently, participants were assigned to groups completely at random using random number generation software. All randomization steps were designed to prevent bias. The allocation process was performed by an independent individual who was unaware of the purpose and hypotheses of the study. This individual recorded the random sequence on a sheet with codes and assigned groups, and this information was not disclosed to any of the researchers currently enrolling participants. This ensured that group selection was conducted fairly and without any external influence. Additionally, allocation information is kept in an encrypted file accessible only to the independent individual. These documented and transparent processes provide the necessary conditions for realizing random allocation and will increase the validity of the study results."

“In this study, participants will be provided with general information about the aims and methods of the study. However, the precise details of the intervention in the other group will not be disclosed to the participants in order to prevent potential bias. Therapy sessions for both groups (intervention and comparison) will be conducted similarly in terms of structure, number of sessions, and setting to minimize the perceived differences between the interventions for the participants. The outcome assessors, who administer the questionnaires during the pre-test and post-test phases, will also be blinded to group allocation. The data analyst will also operate in a blinded manner, and the data will be analyzed without group identifiers.