Improving Attentional and Cognitive Control in the Psychological Treatment of Intrusive Thoughts

Part of paid clinical trials in Boston, Massachusetts.

Sponsor
Massachusetts General Hospital
Study ID
NCT04225624
Status
Completed

Conditions

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
18 Years - 60 Years
Healthy Volunteers
Not accepted

Interventions

  • Emotion Regulation Therapy - Attention Regulation (AR-ERT) — BEHAVIORAL
    Participants will receive a total of eight 60 minute sessions (over 8 weeks) of individual, manual-based AR-ERT. This intervention aims to build attention regulation skills (i.e., the ability to flexibly shift and sustain attention) by teaching participants exercises for Orienting their attention and Allowing the presence of negative emotions. Participants are taught to apply these skills to counteract reactive perseverative thinking when negative emotions arise as well as proactively engage with emotion-laden situations that trigger repetitive negative thinking.
  • Supportive Psychotherapy (SPT) — BEHAVIORAL
    Participants will receive a total of eight 60 minute sessions (over 8 weeks) of individual, manual-based SPT. This intervention addresses factors that may affect participants' repetitive negative thinking symptoms (for example, relationships, work, stress), and teaches skills for managing challenges by improving self-esteem and positive coping skills.

Study Details

The investigators are conducting this study to learn more about the cognitive and attentional processes among individuals with three types of repetitive negative thinking (RNT): mental rituals (as seen in obsessive compulsive disorder, OCD), worries (as seen in generalized anxiety disorder, GAD), and ruminations (as seen in major depressive disorder, MDD). Specifically, the investigators are studying whether psychological treatment can help people with RNT who have trouble stopping unwanted thoughts and shifting their attention.

Key Dates

Start date
Apr 30, 2021
Status verified
Feb 2026
Primary completion
Jan 22, 2025
Completion
Apr 9, 2025

Study Design

Enrollment
65 participants (actual)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT

Arms

  • Experimental: Phase 2: Emotion Regulation Therapy - Attention Regulation (AR-ERT)
    Individuals with repetitive negative thinking receiving Emotion Regulation Therapy - Attention Regulation.
  • Active Comparator: Phase 2: Supportive Psychotherapy (SPT)
    Individuals with repetitive negative thinking receiving Supportive Psychotherapy.
  • Experimental: Phase 1: Pilot Testing Phase
    Individuals with repetitive negative thinking receiving Emotion Regulation Therapy - Attention Regulation.

Primary Outcome Measure

Transdiagnostic Repetitive Negative Thinking (Measured by the Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire [PTQ]) Assessed in Phase I (Pilot Trial) and Group Differences Compared at 8 Weeks in Phase 2 Randomized Controlled Trial [ Time Frame: Week 0 (baseline), week 4 (mid-treatment), week 8 (post-treatment), and week 20 (3-month follow-up) ]

Locations (1)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
Massachusetts General HospitalBostonMassachusetts02114-

Find similar trials in Boston, MA

By condition
Depression
By specialty
PsychiatryMental healthBehavioral health
By research site
Massachusetts General Hospital· Boston, MA

Related Studies