Trial results for a study investigating psychological treatments for repetitive negative thinking in conditions including Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Major Depressive Disorder were posted on ClinicalTrials.gov on 2026-03-10, with 65 participants enrolled.
Background
Repetitive negative thinking (RNT), encompassing mental rituals, worries, and ruminations, is a common feature across several mental health conditions, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and major depressive disorder (MDD). Individuals experiencing RNT often struggle with stopping unwanted thoughts and shifting their attention. This study aimed to explore whether specific psychological treatments could help improve attentional and cognitive control in individuals with these transdiagnostic challenges.
Trial design
This completed study, designated as Phase NA, enrolled 65 participants across conditions including Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Major Depressive Disorder. The trial investigated two psychological treatment approaches: Emotion Regulation Therapy - Attention Regulation (AR-ERT) and Supportive Psychotherapy (SPT). The study aimed to learn more about cognitive and attentional processes among individuals with repetitive negative thinking.
Key results
The trial assessed transdiagnostic repetitive negative thinking using the Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire (PTQ), worry using the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ), and rumination using the Ruminative Response Scale (RRS). Key measurements observed across the study groups included:
- Transdiagnostic Repetitive Negative Thinking (Measured by the Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire [PTQ]):
- Phase 1: Pilot Testing Phase: Mean 45.67 (Standard Deviation 5.86)
- Phase 2: Emotion Regulation Therapy - Attention Regulation (AR-ERT): Mean 45.29 (Standard Deviation 5.69)
- Phase 2: Supportive Psychotherapy (SPT): Mean 45.94 (Standard Deviation 5.76)
- Phase 1: Pilot Testing Phase: Mean 31.33 (Standard Deviation 15.04)
- Phase 2: Emotion Regulation Therapy - Attention Regulation (AR-ERT): Mean 34.85 (Standard Deviation 11.33)
- Phase 2: Supportive Psychotherapy (SPT): Mean 36.64 (Standard Deviation 8.61)
- Phase 1: Pilot Testing Phase: Mean 27.00 (Standard Deviation 5.29)
- Phase 2: Emotion Regulation Therapy - Attention Regulation (AR-ERT): Mean 25.88 (Standard Deviation 10.33)
- Phase 2: Supportive Psychotherapy (SPT): Mean 31.96 (Standard Deviation 11.96)
- Phase 2: Emotion Regulation Therapy - Attention Regulation (AR-ERT): Mean 29.43 (Standard Deviation 11.71)
- Phase 2: Supportive Psychotherapy (SPT): Mean 31.52 (Standard Deviation 12.96)
- Worry (Measured by the Penn State Worry Questionnaire [PSWQ]):
- Phase 1: Pilot Testing Phase: Mean 62.33 (Standard Deviation 10.50)
Mixed Models Analysis comparing the treatment groups (AR-ERT vs. SPT) at 8 weeks revealed no statistically significant differences:
- For PTQ-PW total scores (final values), the Mean Difference was -5.491 (95.0% CI: -11.325 to 0.344), with a p-value of 0.065.
- For the change from baseline to end-of-treatment PTQ-PW scores, the Difference in the amount of change was -4.781 (95.0% CI: -10.401 to 0.84), with a p-value of 0.095.
- For PSWQ total scores (final values), the Mean Difference was -3.543 (95.0% CI: -9.777 to 2.691), with a p-value of 0.26.
- For the change from baseline to end-of-treatment PSWQ scores, the Difference in the amount of change was -3.971 (95.0% CI: -9.642 to 1.699), with a p-value of 0.168.
- For RRS total scores (final values), the Mean Difference was -0.975 (95.0% CI: -7.848 to 5.898), with a p-value of 0.777.
- For the change from baseline to end-of-treatment RRS scores, the Difference in the amount of change was 0.038 (95.0% CI: -6.526 to 6.601), with a p-value of 0.991.
What this means
The trial results indicate that Emotion Regulation Therapy - Attention Regulation (AR-ERT) did not demonstrate a statistically significant advantage over Supportive Psychotherapy (SPT) in reducing transdiagnostic repetitive negative thinking, worry, or rumination in this study population. While both interventions showed various observed scores, the comparative analyses did not find significant differences between the two treatment groups at the 8-week endpoint or in the amount of change from baseline. This suggests that both approaches may have similar effects on these measures, or the study may not have been powered to detect smaller differences.
Source
The information regarding these trial results was obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov, a public database of clinical studies. The results for the study NCT04225624, titled "Improving Attentional and Cognitive Control in the Psychological Treatment of Intrusive Thoughts", were posted on 2026-03-10 on clinicaltrials.gov.