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Furer P, Graff LA, Jackson GL, Kredenster M, Anderson S, Dirkse D, Pryor T, Bernstein CN.  Development of an Internet-delivered Cognitive Behavioral Program for Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Pilot Study. Journal of Depression and Anxiety Disorders 2022; 4(1):106-114.

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Background

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The prevalence of IBD varies worldwide and is rapidly rising, with the highest rates being reported in Europe and North America. The approximately 2 million individuals with IBD in the US and Canada are projected to double over the next decade. The disease has a high burden for patients, with unpredictable, painful symptoms that can interfere with home and work life.

 

It is well established that individuals with IBD have significantly higher rates of anxiety and depression than the general population. Persistent high levels of stress predict worsening IBD symptoms, which in turn increases the risk of developing chronic anxiety and depression.

 

This pilot study examined a new internet-delivered cognitive behavior therapy program (iCBT) for anxiety, depression and/or stress in adults with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

 

The internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) intervention tailored for adults with IBD to address stress, anxiety and/or depression is outlined in Table 1. The program included 9 core modules and 1 optional module. Modules took approximately 1-2 hours each to complete and included

text, patient videos illustrating learning points, and practice exercises to complete between modules.

 

Methods

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Adults were recruited from the Manitoba sample of the Inflammation, Microbiome, and Alimentation: Gastro-Intestinal and Neuropsychiatric Effects (IMAGINE) study, a large cohort of Canadian patients with physician-confirmed IBD. Eighteen of 21 participants completed the 9-module program.

Measures of anxiety, depression, and stress were administered at baseline, and at 6-, 12-, and 24-weeks post-baseline.

 

Results

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Compared to baseline, there was a significant reduction in anxiety (HADS-A) and in stress (PSS-4) over time. There were no statistically significant changes in depression scores (HADS-D). However, inspection of average depression scores over time suggests a trend for a decrease in scores at the 6- and 12-week points, with a subsequent increase at 24 weeks.

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Participant satisfaction on the CSQ-8 ranged from 18 to 28 with a mean of 23.65 reflecting good satisfaction with the online intervention.

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Conclusion

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The results of this pilot study suggest it is a promising clinical intervention and support further investigation of this online CBT intervention for adults with IBD. Clinically meaningful reductions in anxiety and stress were achieved with this relatively low-resource intensity and accessible intervention. Participant engagement was high, with an excellent completion rate.

 

 

Moayyedi P, MacQueen G, Bernstein CN, Vanner S, Bercik P, Madsen KL, Surette M, Rioux JD, Dieleman LA, Verdú E, de Souza RJ, Otley A, Targownik L, Lavis J, Cunningham J, Marshall DA, Zelinsky S, Fernandes A. IMAGINE NETWORK’s Mind And Gut Interactions Cohort (MAGIC) Study: a protocol for a prospective observational multicentre cohort study in inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome. BMJ Open. 2020 Oct 21;10(10):e041733. 

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Gut microbiome and diet may be important in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), IBD and comorbid psychiatric conditions, but the mechanisms are unclear. We will create a large cohort of patients with IBS, IBD and healthy controls, and follow them over time, collecting dietary and mental health information and biological samples, to assess their gastrointestinal and psychological symptoms in association with their diet, gut microbiome and metabolome.

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This 5-year observational prospective cohort study is recruiting 8000 participants from 15 Canadian centres. Persons with IBS who are 13 years of age and older or IBD who are at least 5 years will be recruited. Healthy controls will be recruited from the general public and from friends or relatives of those with IBD or IBS who do not have GI symptoms. Participants answer surveys and provide blood, urine and stool samples annually. Surveys assess disease activity, quality of life, physical pain, lifestyle factors, psychological status and diet. The main outcomes evaluated will be the association between the diet, inflammatory, genetic, microbiome and metabolomic profiles in those with IBD and IBS compared with healthy controls using multivariate logistic regression. We will also compare these profiles in those with active versus quiescent disease and those with and without psychological comorbidity. Approval has been obtained from the institutional review boards of all centres taking part in the study. We will develop evidence-based knowledge translation initiatives for patients, clinicians and policymakers to disseminate results to relevant stakeholders. Trial registration number: NCT03131414.