Promising results for world-first anxiety programme A PHA UK-supported study has tested the world’s first self-help intervention for people with PH and anxiety. Up to 50% of people with pulmonary hypertension experience anxiety that affects everyday life, but we know it’s not always easy to get the help you need. That’s why, in collaboration with leading UK researchers, we helped develop and test the world’s first self-help programme aimed specifically at those with PH. The four-week programme, consisting of a series of workbooks based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), was the brainchild of trainee psychologist Dr Gregg Rawlings. He was supported by Professor Andrew Thompson of Cardiff University, and Professor Nigel Beail of the University of Sheffield, and the aim was to develop tools that patients can access straight away and use in the comfort of their own home.
About the self-help programme (known as the ‘intervention’)
The intervention consists of four workbooks, each focused on different topics to give people the skills and insight to better manage their anxiety. The series, titled 'Overcoming Worry & Anxiety', is designed to be completed over a period of four weeks. The content is based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which helps people to change their unhelpful thoughts and behaviours and develop better ways of coping. CBT is proven to reduce anxiety in many people, including others with long-term health conditions.
How the study worked
The aim of the study was to test how effective the intervention is in helping people with PH manage their anxiety. 138 people with PH were recruited to the study from the UK, Canada, America, India and the Netherlands, and divided into two different groups. One group was asked to complete the self-help programme, whilst the other did not. Both groups answered questions about their anxiety symptoms at the same points. Data was collected over an eight-month period between August 2020 and April 2021. You can see the results on the page opposite .
AUTUMN 2021 emphasis 8
What happens next?
Although further research is needed, it’s clear that we now have a valuable way of helping people with PH manage their anxiety, and we are keen to help as many people benefit from it as possible. To enable further evidence of the intervention to be gathered, we are working on the next stage of the study which will include making the programme available to all PHA UK members for free. If you would like to be among the first to hear when you can access the programme, please email office@phauk.org with ‘Overcoming Worry & Anxiety’ in the subject line.
