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. 2022 Nov;58(8):1522-1534.
doi: 10.1007/s10597-022-00967-1. Epub 2022 Apr 4.

Primary Outcomes for Adults Receiving the Unified Protocol after Hurricane Harvey in an Integrated Healthcare Setting

Saira A Weinzimmer  1 , Amy R Goetz  1 , Andrew G Guzick  1 , Lynn M Hana  1 , Sandra L Cepeda  1   2 , Sophie C Schneider  1 , Sarah M Kennedy  3 , Gifty N Amos Nwankwo  1 , Catherine C Christian  1 , Ashley M Shaw  4 , Alison Salloum  5 , Asim A Shah  1 , Wayne K Goodman  1 , Jill Ehrenreich-May  2 , Eric A Storch  6
Affiliations

Primary Outcomes for Adults Receiving the Unified Protocol after Hurricane Harvey in an Integrated Healthcare Setting

Saira A Weinzimmer et al. Community Ment Health J. 2022 Nov.

Abstract

The Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (UP) has demonstrated efficacy for treating anxiety and depression. However, there are limited effectiveness data when conducted in real-world settings with diverse populations, including those with trauma. We evaluated treatment outcomes in a naturalistic, community setting among 279 adults who received UP following Hurricane Harvey. We examined change in overall clinical severity, depression and anxiety symptoms, functional impairment, and baseline outcome predictors (i.e., demographic characteristics, impact from Hurricane Harvey, co-occurrence of depression and anxiety symptoms). Global clinical severity, depression and anxiety symptoms, and functional impairment decreased by end-of-treatment. Participants experienced global symptom improvement to a lesser degree than demonstrated in efficacy trials. Participants who experienced greater storm impact reported larger reductions in anxiety symptoms than those less impacted by Harvey. Further studies evaluating the effectiveness of the UP post-disaster and with diverse samples are needed.

Keywords: Anxiety; Depression; Emotional disorders; Hurricane Harvey; Natural disaster; Unified Protocol.

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Conflict of interest statement

Confilct of interest Dr. Storch receives research support from NIH, International OCD Foundation, Greater Houston Community Foundation, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and the Misophonia Research Fund. He has received royalties from Elsevier Publications, Springer Publications, American Psychological Association, Wiley, Inc., Jessica Kingsley, and Lawrence Erlbaum. Dr. Storch is on the Speaker’s Bureau and Scientific Advisory Board for the International OCD Foundation. He owns stock in NView. He is a consultant for Biohaven. Dr. Ehrenreich-May receives financial support for research from NIH, PCORI, the U.S. Department of Defense, the Children’s Trust, the Misophonia Research Fund, and Northwell Health. Dr. Schneider receives grant funding from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, NIH, the American Red Cross, and the Misophonia Research Fund. All other authors report no financial disclosures. We report no other potential conflicts of interest.

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