Comparison of Transdiagnostic Group Therapy with Cognitive Group Therapy in University Students with Adjustment Disorder

Abstract

Unified Protocol (UP) is a kind of transdiagnostic psychotherapy for emotional disorders as a new psychotherapy. The current study intended to compare severity of symptoms, happiness and quality of life of adjustment disorder in two groups of university students treated by UP or cognitive therapy. This study was a randomized clinical trial. The sample included 23 university students with the adjustment disorder. Patients were assigned to 2 groups randomly (UP and cognitive therapy groups). The intervention in UP group was conducted based on Barlow & his colleagues (2011) manual for unified protocol for transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorders. For the cognitive group therapy, researchers applied Ferry’s cognitive group therapy protocol (2007). Ten therapeutic sessions administered for each group. The instruments included the Beck Depression Inventory–II (BDI-II), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Oxford Happiness Inventory (OHI) andWorld Health of Quality of Life (WHO QOL-BREF). The data were analyzed using Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). Results showed that clients receiving UP reported a significantly decrease in severity of Adjustment Disorder symptoms, and an increase in happiness and improvement in quality of life at post- treatment state. However, the results of comparison of all the variables in 2 groups were not statistically significant.