The Efficacy of Emotion Regulation Therapy (ERT) in Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): symptom reduction and improving of emotion regulation and mindfulness skills

According to Emotion Dysregulation Model (EMD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) symptoms may be maintained by emotional hyperarousal, experience of intense emotion, poorer understanding of emotions, negative attitudes about emotions, and maladaptive emotion regulation and management. based on the EMD, Emotion Regulation Therapy (ERT) is a mechanism-targeted intervention that cultivating emotion regulation skills.
Four men with generalized anxiety disorder were selected from Counseling Center of University of Tehran and Talieh Mehr clinic. Anxiety and Related Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-IV (ADIS-IV) were used to diagnosis GAD and other disorders. Subjects were selected using purposeful sampling, multiple baseline experimental single case study was used as the method of the present study. The treatment program was carried out for 14 weekly sessions (14-session version), with a follow-up period of 2 months subsequent to treatment termination. Subjects completed the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7), The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) in the baseline, during treatment, post-treatment and follow-up period.
The patients demonstrated distinct improvements in symptom severity (i.e., worry, anxiety and GAD cretria in GAD-7), and in model-related outcomes including, mindful attending/acceptance, and cognitive reappraisal. Patients maintained gains across the two month follow-up period. In addition to, ERT was very well tolerated by patients and all of patients completed sessions.
Results of present study provide additional evidence for the efficacy of the ERT in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and additional support for the role of emotion dysregulation in the onset, maintenance, and treatment GAD.