The Effects of a Telenursing Scheduled Intervention of Brief Behavioral Activation Therapy on Depression and Anxiety Symptoms of Patients with Mixed Depression and Anxiety Disorder

Background: Although many studies have been conducted on the efficacy of behavioral activation in depression, there are few sources that have evaluated the efficacy of this treatment in depressed patients with anxiety through telecare. The study is designed aiming to determining the Effects of a telenursing scheduled intervention of brief behavioral activation therapy on depression and anxiety symptoms of patients with mixed anxiety and depression Disorder (MADD). Methods The study was a randomized clinical trial in which 30 subjects with MADD were randomly assigned to an intervention and a control group based on inclusion criteria. The 8-session person-centered behavioral activation was delivered twice weekly via tele-nursing. Depression and anxiety symptoms severity were assessed using the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale at baseline, end, and 1 month after the intervention. Data were analyzed by independent t-tests, chi-square tests, and repeated-measures tests using SPSS version 24. Results The results showed that after the implementation of the intervention, the depression score in the intervention group had decreased from 19.86 (± 8.56) to 17.21 (± 6.71). In contrast, it increased from 18.67 (± 9.72) to 19.47 (± 7.33) in the control group. For anxiety symptoms, there was a clinically significant decrease after the intervention only in the intervention group (p = 0.01). Conclusion The results showed the effects of brief behavioral activating tele-nursing on a non-significant reduction in depression symptoms and a significant clinical reduction in anxiety symptoms after the intervention in MADD patients. It seems that brief BA tele-therapy could be a good alternative for discharged patients and a good complementary method for long-term treatment in primary care nursing. Trial registration: IRCT20151003024312N6 Date of first registration: 13/09/2021