Single-session intervention with and without video support to prevent the worsening of emotional distress among healthcare workers during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: a randomised clinical trial

Background The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was a major stressful event that significantly affected healthcare providers.Objective To evaluate the efficacy of a single-session intervention (SSI), with and without weekly personalised prerecorded videos, in preventing emotional distress worsening.Methods Natio...

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Main Authors: Pim Cuijpers, Natan Pereira Gosmann, Marianna de Abreu Costa, Lucas Spanemberg, Gisele Gus Manfro, Daniel Samuel Pine, Giovanni Abrahão Salum, André Rafael Simioni, Livia Hartmann de Souza, Andre Russowsky Brunoni, Natan Katz, Roberto Nunes Umpierre, Christian Haag Kristensen, Marcelo Pio Fleck, Carolina Blaya Dreher
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2025-04-01
Series:BMJ Mental Health
Online Access:https://mentalhealth.bmj.com/content/28/1/e301416.full
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author Pim Cuijpers
Natan Pereira Gosmann
Marianna de Abreu Costa
Lucas Spanemberg
Gisele Gus Manfro
Daniel Samuel Pine
Giovanni Abrahão Salum
André Rafael Simioni
Livia Hartmann de Souza
Andre Russowsky Brunoni
Natan Katz
Roberto Nunes Umpierre
Christian Haag Kristensen
Marcelo Pio Fleck
Carolina Blaya Dreher
author_facet Pim Cuijpers
Natan Pereira Gosmann
Marianna de Abreu Costa
Lucas Spanemberg
Gisele Gus Manfro
Daniel Samuel Pine
Giovanni Abrahão Salum
André Rafael Simioni
Livia Hartmann de Souza
Andre Russowsky Brunoni
Natan Katz
Roberto Nunes Umpierre
Christian Haag Kristensen
Marcelo Pio Fleck
Carolina Blaya Dreher
author_sort Pim Cuijpers
collection DOAJ
description Background The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was a major stressful event that significantly affected healthcare providers.Objective To evaluate the efficacy of a single-session intervention (SSI), with and without weekly personalised prerecorded videos, in preventing emotional distress worsening.Methods Nationwide randomised clinical trial conducted in Brazil from 19 May 2020 to 31 December 2021. We included healthcare professionals with anxiety, depression or irritability scores below a T-score of 70, measured by the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System. Participants were randomised to SSI or SSI plus weekly personalised prerecorded videos for 4 weeks (SSI-ET). The primary outcome was the proportion of participants with a significant escalation of symptoms (ie, T-score above 70).Findings From 3328 assessed for eligibility, 1112 participants were randomised (SSI=549; SSI-ET=563). The cumulative proportion of incident cases at 6 months was 17.5% (95% CI: 13.1% to 21.6%) for SSI and 15% (95% CI: 10.9% to 18.8%) for SSI-ET, with no difference between groups (HR=0.81, 95% CI: 0.83 to 1.79). Both groups showed significant symptom reductions at 1 month follow-up, maintained at 3 and 6 months (Cohen’s d=0.68–1.08).Conclusions Adding asynchronous videos to SSI provided no additional benefit. While symptom improvements occurred over time, the lack of a control group limits conclusions about intervention efficacy.Clinical implications Given its simplicity and scalability, the synchronous component, which includes core mental health support elements, such as active listening, validation, and empathic care, may represent a feasible way to assist healthcare professionals in crisis settings, even though further research is needed to determine its specific impact.Trial registration number NCT04632082.
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spelling doaj-art-da51d649da9c4b8fbb392c76b67937f02025-08-20T02:08:26ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Mental Health2755-97342025-04-0128110.1136/bmjment-2024-301416Single-session intervention with and without video support to prevent the worsening of emotional distress among healthcare workers during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: a randomised clinical trialPim Cuijpers0Natan Pereira Gosmann1Marianna de Abreu Costa2Lucas Spanemberg3Gisele Gus Manfro4Daniel Samuel Pine5Giovanni Abrahão Salum6André Rafael Simioni7Livia Hartmann de Souza8Andre Russowsky Brunoni9Natan Katz10Roberto Nunes Umpierre11Christian Haag Kristensen12Marcelo Pio Fleck13Carolina Blaya Dreher144 Department of Clinical, Neuro and Developmental Psychology, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands1 Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil1 Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil1 Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil1 Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil5 Emotion and Development Branch, Section on Development and Affective Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA1 Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil1 Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil1 Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil6 Department of Psychiatry, Universidade de São Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil1 Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil1 Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil1 Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil1 Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil1 Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, BrazilBackground The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was a major stressful event that significantly affected healthcare providers.Objective To evaluate the efficacy of a single-session intervention (SSI), with and without weekly personalised prerecorded videos, in preventing emotional distress worsening.Methods Nationwide randomised clinical trial conducted in Brazil from 19 May 2020 to 31 December 2021. We included healthcare professionals with anxiety, depression or irritability scores below a T-score of 70, measured by the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System. Participants were randomised to SSI or SSI plus weekly personalised prerecorded videos for 4 weeks (SSI-ET). The primary outcome was the proportion of participants with a significant escalation of symptoms (ie, T-score above 70).Findings From 3328 assessed for eligibility, 1112 participants were randomised (SSI=549; SSI-ET=563). The cumulative proportion of incident cases at 6 months was 17.5% (95% CI: 13.1% to 21.6%) for SSI and 15% (95% CI: 10.9% to 18.8%) for SSI-ET, with no difference between groups (HR=0.81, 95% CI: 0.83 to 1.79). Both groups showed significant symptom reductions at 1 month follow-up, maintained at 3 and 6 months (Cohen’s d=0.68–1.08).Conclusions Adding asynchronous videos to SSI provided no additional benefit. While symptom improvements occurred over time, the lack of a control group limits conclusions about intervention efficacy.Clinical implications Given its simplicity and scalability, the synchronous component, which includes core mental health support elements, such as active listening, validation, and empathic care, may represent a feasible way to assist healthcare professionals in crisis settings, even though further research is needed to determine its specific impact.Trial registration number NCT04632082.https://mentalhealth.bmj.com/content/28/1/e301416.full
spellingShingle Pim Cuijpers
Natan Pereira Gosmann
Marianna de Abreu Costa
Lucas Spanemberg
Gisele Gus Manfro
Daniel Samuel Pine
Giovanni Abrahão Salum
André Rafael Simioni
Livia Hartmann de Souza
Andre Russowsky Brunoni
Natan Katz
Roberto Nunes Umpierre
Christian Haag Kristensen
Marcelo Pio Fleck
Carolina Blaya Dreher
Single-session intervention with and without video support to prevent the worsening of emotional distress among healthcare workers during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: a randomised clinical trial
BMJ Mental Health
title Single-session intervention with and without video support to prevent the worsening of emotional distress among healthcare workers during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: a randomised clinical trial
title_full Single-session intervention with and without video support to prevent the worsening of emotional distress among healthcare workers during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: a randomised clinical trial
title_fullStr Single-session intervention with and without video support to prevent the worsening of emotional distress among healthcare workers during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: a randomised clinical trial
title_full_unstemmed Single-session intervention with and without video support to prevent the worsening of emotional distress among healthcare workers during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: a randomised clinical trial
title_short Single-session intervention with and without video support to prevent the worsening of emotional distress among healthcare workers during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: a randomised clinical trial
title_sort single session intervention with and without video support to prevent the worsening of emotional distress among healthcare workers during the sars cov 2 pandemic a randomised clinical trial
url https://mentalhealth.bmj.com/content/28/1/e301416.full
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