King’s College London has conducted a study that shows a therapist-guided digital cognitive behavioral therapy called COMPASS reduced distress in 89% of participants living with long-term physical health conditions. The study, which appears in Psychological Medicine, was conducted by researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London.

The study recruited 194 patients via long-term condition charities in the UK, including Crohn’s & Colitis UK, Kidney Care UK, MS Society, Shift.ms, and Psoriasis Association. Half of the participants received the COMPASS program, while the other half did not, with both groups continuing to access their usual charity support.

The results showed that 89% of participants who received COMPASS demonstrated a clinically significant improvement in distress, compared to 45% of those who did not have access to the program. Alongside improvements in anxiety and depression, COMPASS was also associated with improved ability to undertake daily activities, reduction in illness-specific distress, and better quality of life.

An estimated 15.4 million people in England have one or more long-term physical health conditions, with 30% of these individuals also having a co-occurring mental health condition. The study is the first randomized controlled trial to measure the effectiveness of COMPASS for managing anxiety and depression related to living with a long-term condition.

Dr. Federica Picariello, post-doctoral health psychology research associate at King’s IoPPN and joint first author of the study, stated, ‘Our study shows that COMPASS offers an effective and potentially scalable intervention for people whose long-term physical health condition is the key driver for their anxiety and/or depression.’