Group-based Natural Psychotherapy: Patients will be divided into 3-4 groups, with each group comprising 8-10 patients, led by one psychotherapist. The intervention will last 4 weeks, with all patients required to participate in weekly face-to-face group sessions, each lasting 2-3 hours. The weekly group sessions are the core of the treatment and consists of two parts: (1) phase-specific psychoeducation on the theoretical principles of Natural Psychotherapy; (2) experiential learning through carefully designed activities to facilitate personal experience and understanding of the theoretical content. Homework is assigned after each group session, such as writing treatment diaries and daily exercise plans. The psychotherapists review patients' treatment diaries daily according to guiding principles and provide feedback, offering key guidance and support. Exercise is emphasized as a core component of active action within the Natural Psychotherapy; participants will develop personalized weekly exercise plans during group ses
Study summary
This study aims to preliminarily explore the intervention effect and feasibility of group natural psychotherapy (a new Eastern culture-based psychotherapy method) for patients with anxiety disorder through a randomized controlled trial.
Eligibility
Sex
ALL
Min age
15 Years
Max age
55 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion Criteria:
1. Meet the diagnostic criteria for anxiety disorders in the DSM - 5;
2. Aged between 15 and 55 years old;
3. Have a junior high school education or above;
4. The patient agrees to participate in this project and signs the informed consent form.
Exclusion Criteria:
1. Have comorbidities of other severe mental disorders (including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder);
2. Have a lifetime history of substance abuse;
3. Patients with severe neurological diseases, mental retardation, and cognitive impairment;
4. At high risk of suicide or have suicidal behavior;
5. Pregnant or breastfeeding;
6. Have severe physical diseases and infectious diseases.
Primary outcome measure(s)
Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) — week 0; week 4; week 8 The GAD-7 is a brief self-report questionnaire designed to assess the severity of generalized anxiety symptoms (Spitzer et al., 2006). It consists of seven items, with higher scores indicating greater severity of anxiety. Clinical cut-off scores are: 0-4 (minimal/no clinical anxiety), 5-9 (mild), 10-14 (moderate), and ≥ 15 (severe). The Chinese version of the GAD-7 has demonstrated good reliability and validity, with high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.93) and satisfactory test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.71-0.87; Zhang et al., 2021).
State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) — week 0; weeek 4; week 8 The STAI consists of two subscales (Spielberger et al., 1970): the State Anxiety Inventory (S-Anxiety, Items 1-20) and the Trait Anxiety Inventory (T-Anxiety, Items 21-40). The S-Anxiety subscale reflects transient feelings of tension, apprehension and nervousness in response to stressors, while the T-Anxiety subscale assesses relatively stable individual differences in anxiety proneness. Both subscales use a 4-point Likert scale (total scores 20-80), with higher scores indicating higher levels of anxiety; certain items are reverse-scored. The Chinese version shows robust reliability and validity, with high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.91-0.92), strong test-retest reliability (0.76-0.91), and significant correlations with the HAMA (r = 0.69-0.74; Ma et al., 2012).
This page summarises publicly available registry data for informational purposes — not medical advice. Eligibility is determined by each study team; patients should discuss participation with their clinician.
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