NCT03476200

Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Hair Cortisol Concentration

Hair Cortisol Concentrations as Indicator of Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 83 (actual)
• Sponsor: Universidad de Granada · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Stress is considered as a risk factor for physical and mental health. For this reason, interventional programs focused on stress management have been developed. These programs have proven to be efficacious modifying emotional variables and psychopathological symptoms. However, there are no studies showing how these interventions modify objective measures of stress. For example, measures reflecting Hipotalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis activity, the main system involved in the stress response. The activity of HPA axis is also altered by illness and psychopathology. Hair cortisol technique allows for changes assessment of HPA axis activity during months. Therefore, hair cortisol may be considered as an useful tool to measure changes of emotional variables related to stress in the long term. This measure of change over time of HPA axis activation together with related emotional variables assessment could be useful to evaluate the efficacy of interventional programs. For this reason, the aim of this research is to assess the effects of a cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) on perceived stress, resilience, worries, psychopathology and HPA axis activity through hair cortisol analysis.

Conditions

• Cognitive Therapy
• Control

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Cognitive Behavioral Therapy	The intervention consist of 14 weekly group meetings lasting 1.5 or 2 h. Groups are made up of 10 patients. Each group session follow a structured format and consisted of the following elements: introduction to the session, discussion of homework, group discussion and the development of new coping skills. The sessions deal with the following: concept of stress, cognitive restructuring, alternative thought control strategies, relaxation techniques, training in social skills, training in social skills and humour and optimism as coping strategies.

Timeline

• Start date: 2017-02-01
• Primary completion: 2018-09-15
• Completion: 2018-12-15
• First posted: 2018-03-23
• Last updated: 2021-07-20

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Spain