Cited by 46Digital Mental Health InterventionsMusculoskeletal pain and rehabilitationMobile Health and mHealth Applications

A web- and mobile-based intervention for comorbid, recurrent depression in patients with chronic back pain on sick leave (Get.Back): pilot randomized controlled trial on feasibility, user satisfaction, and effectiveness

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Schlicker, Sandra, Baumeister, Harald, Buntrock, Claudia, Sander, Lasse, Paganini, Sarah, Lin, Jiaxi, Berking, Matthias, Lehr, Dirk +1 more·2020·JMIR Mental Health

Abstract

Background Chronic back pain (CBP) is linked to a higher prevalence and higher occurrence of major depressive disorder (MDD) and can lead to reduced quality of life. Unfortunately, individuals with both CBP and recurrent MDD are underidentified. Utilizing health care insurance data may provide a possibility to better identify this complex population. In addition, internet- and mobile-based interventions might enhance the availability of existing treatments and provide help to those highly burdened individuals. Objective This pilot randomized controlled trial investigated the feasibility of recruitment via the health records of a German health insurance company. The study also examined user satisfaction and effectiveness of a 9-week cognitive behavioral therapy and Web- and mobile-based guided self-help intervention Get.Back in CBP patients with recurrent MDD on sick leave compared with a waitlist control condition. Methods Health records from a German health insurance company were used to identify and recruit participants (N=76) via invitation letters. Study outcomes were measured using Web-based self-report assessments at baseline, posttreatment (9 weeks), and a 6-month follow-up. The primary outcome was depressive symptom severity (Center for Epidemiological Studies–Depression); secondary outcomes included anxiety (Hamilton Anxiety and Depression Scale), quality of life (Assessment of Quality of Life), pain-related variables (Oswestry Disability Index, Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire, and pain intensity), and negative effects (Inventory for the Assessment of Negative Effects of Psychotherapy). Results The total enrollment rate with the recruitment strategy used was 1.26% (76/6000). Participants completed 4.8 modules (SD 2.6, range 0-7) of Get.Back. The overall user satisfaction was favorable (mean Client Satisfaction Questionnaire score=24.5, SD 5.2). Covariance analyses showed a small but statistically significant reduction in depressive symptom severity in the intervention group (n=40) at posttreatment compared with the waitlist control group (n=36; F1,76=3.62, P=.03; d=0.28, 95% CI −0.17 to 0.74). Similar findings were noted for the reduction of anxiety symptoms (F1,76=10.45; P=.001; d=0.14, 95% CI −0.31 to 0.60) at posttreatment. Other secondary outcomes were nonsignificant (.06≤P≤.44). At the 6-month follow-up, the difference between the groups with regard to reduction in depressive symptom severity was no longer statistically significant (F1,76=1.50, P=.11; d=0.10, 95% CI −0.34 to 0.46). The between-group difference in anxiety at posttreatment was maintained to follow-up (F1,76=2.94, P=.04; d=0.38, 95% CI −0.07 to 0.83). There were no statistically significant differences across groups regarding other secondary outcomes at the 6-month follow-up (.08≤P≤.42). Conclusions These results suggest that participants with comorbid depression and CBP on sick leave may benefit from internet- and mobile-based interventions, as exemplified with the positive user satisfaction ratings. The recruitment strategy via health insurance letter invitations appeared feasible, but more research is needed to understand how response rates in untreated individuals with CBP and comorbid depression can be increased. Trial Registration German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00010820; https://www.drks.de/drks_web/navigate.do? navigationId=trial.HTML&TRIAL_ID=DRKS00010820.

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  • The findings are consistent with previous large randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses demonstrating the effectiveness of digital interventions for improving symptoms of depression, anxiety, and pain-related impairment in people with chronic pain.

    “Our findings are consistent with previous large randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses that have demonstrated the effectiveness of digital interventions for improving symptoms of depression, anxiety, and even pain-related impairment in people with chronic pain who have been recruited from pain management clinics, primary care clinics, and community/internet referral sources [20,21,45-47].”

    From Digital Mental Health Intervention Plus Usual Care Compared With Usual Care Only and Usual Care Plus In-Person Psychological Counseling for Orthopedic Patients With Symptoms of Depression or Anxiety: Cohort Study (2022) · cites this paper as [20]

    The Principal Findings and Short-Term Effects sections report reduced depressive symptoms and anxiety in this pilot trial of patients with chronic back pain. But the Principal Findings say effectiveness was not supported for pain measures; the Methods describe a 76-person trial recruited through health-insurance records, not a large trial or meta-analysis with the recruitment sources listed in the citing sentence. Page numbers are unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.90)

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  • In Schlicker et al. (2020), there was no significant between-group difference from baseline to post-treatment on pain intensity (F(1,76) = 3.76, P = .06, d = .23, 95% CI -.22, .68).

    “No significant between-group difference from baseline to post-treatment on - pain intensity (F 1,76 = 3.76, P = .06, d = .23, 95% CI -.22, .68)”

    From The Effectiveness of Interventions for Improving Chronic Pain Symptoms Among People With Mental Illness: A Systematic Review (2024) · cites this paper as Schlicker et al, (2020)

    The Results > Short-Term Effects table (Table 5; page not provided) supports the finding of no significant between-group difference in average pain intensity at posttreatment. It reports F(1,76)=0.03, P=.42, d=0.21, and 95% CI −0.24 to 0.66—not the statistics quoted in the claim. (LLM, conf=0.90)

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  • Another 4 large trials included an intervention with multiple components.

    “Another 4 large trials included an intervention with multiple components. 37-40”

    From The Effectiveness of Interventions for Improving Chronic Pain Symptoms Among People With Mental Illness: A Systematic Review (2024) · cites this paper as [38]

    The Methods > Interventions section describes Get.Back as a randomized intervention with multiple components, including behavioral activation, problem solving, cognitive restructuring, and return-to-work content. But Methods > Study Design says this was a pilot trial that enrolled 76 participants, short of its planned 250; it does not support describing this trial as large. This source accounts for one trial, not the stated total of four. (LLM, conf=0.90)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • No significant differences between CBT and TAU in pain self-efficacy at follow-up in one study.

    “and at follow-up in one study (Schlicker et al., 2020) exploring pain self-efficacy.”
  • No significant differences between CBT and TAU in work capacity at post-treatment and follow-up in two studies.

    “Two studies explored work capacity at post-treatment and follow-up (Schlicker et al., 2020; Baumeister et al., 2021), but neither found significant differences (0%).”

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  1. [23]First MB Gibbon M Spitzer RL Williams JB User's Guide for the Structured Clinical Interview for Dsm-IV Axis I Disorders 1997 New York American Psychiatric Press
  2. [32]Hakkaart-van RL Straten A Tiemens B Donker M Research Gate 2002 2019-08-17 Rotterdam, The Netherlands iMTA Manual Trimbos/iMTA Questionnaire for Costs Associated with Psychiatric Illness (TIC-P) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/254758194_Manual_TrimbosiMTA_Questionnaire_for_Costs_Associated_with_Psychiatric_Illness_TIC-P_in_Dutch

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Authors
Schlicker, S., Baumeister, H., Buntrock, C., Sander, L., Paganini, S., Lin, J., Berking, M., Lehr, D., & Ebert, D. D.
Affiliations
  • Philipps University of Marburg (DE)
  • Universität Ulm (DE)
  • Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (DE)
  • University of Freiburg (DE)
  • Leuphana University of Lüneburg (DE)
Corresponding author
Schlicker, Sandra
Venue
JMIR Mental Health
Published
2020-04-15
Volume
7
Issue
4
Pages
e16398
ISSN
2368-7959 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3016213546
Cited by
46
References
72
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 4
FWCI
6.10
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • JMIR Mental Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Multilingual Matters (Channel View Publications) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • VU Research Portal (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • OPUS Repository (Kooperativer Bibliotheksverbund Berlin-Brandenburg) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
  • Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
  • Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
  • Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (01GY1330B, 01GY1330A)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Mobile Health and mHealth Applications
Keywords
chronic back pain, recurrent depression, major depressive disorder, sick leave, guided self-help, cognitive behavioral therapy, user satisfaction, depression severity, anxiety, quality of life, pain outcomes, feasibility, health care utilization, health care costs

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