Comparing the effectiveness of individual and group therapy for students with symptoms of anxiety and depression: A randomized pilot study

Objective: To examine the effectiveness of individual versus group therapy for anxiety and depression among university students. Participants: Forty-one university students experiencing moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety and/or depression participated during one of three academic semesters from...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Journal of American college health 2020-05, Vol.68 (4), p.430-437
Main Authors:	Fawcett, Emily, Neary, Michele, Ginsburg, Rebecca, Cornish, Peter
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Adolescent Adult Anxiety Anxiety - therapy Attitude Attitudes College Students Colleges & universities counseling center Counseling Effectiveness Counseling Techniques depression Depression (Psychology) Depression - therapy Female Foreign Countries Group counseling Group Therapy Humans Individual Counseling Individual therapy Male Measures (Individuals) Mental depression mental health Pilot Projects Psychotherapy - methods Psychotherapy, Group - methods Severity (of Disability) Student Attitudes Student Characteristics Student health services Students - psychology Universities University students Young Adult
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Summary:	Objective: To examine the effectiveness of individual versus group therapy for anxiety and depression among university students. Participants: Forty-one university students experiencing moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety and/or depression participated during one of three academic semesters from 2015 to 2016. Methods: Participants were randomly assigned to either 6-weeks of individual or group therapy and completed outcome measures at pre-and-post-treatment. Results: Significant reductions in both depression and anxiety scores were found across time, with no significant difference between group and individual therapy outcomes. Exploratory analysis of attitudes toward therapy found that while individual therapy was rated more favorably than group therapy overall, attitudes toward therapy became more favorable from pre to post-treatment for all participants. An interaction showed differences in attitudes toward individual and group therapy according to participants' randomly assigned treatment. Conclusions: These findings support the increased usage of group therapy within university counseling centers, with implications for stepped care discussed.
ISSN:	0744-8481 1940-3208