Primary Outcomes for Adults Receiving the Unified Protocol after Hurricane Harvey in an Integrated Healthcare Setting

Authors

Saira A Weinzimmer
Amy R Goetz
Andrew G Guzick
Lynn M Hana
Sandra L Cepeda
Sophie C Schneider
Sarah M Kennedy
Gifty N Amos Nwankwo
Catherine C Christian
Ashley M Shaw
Alison Salloum
Asim A Shah
Wayne K Goodman
Jill Ehrenreich-May
Eric A Storch

Publication Date

11-1-2022

Journal

Community Mental Health Journal

DOI

10.1007/s10597-022-00967-1

PMID

35377090

PMCID

PMC9962349

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

11-1-2023

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Author MSS

Published Open-Access

yes

Keywords

Adult, Humans, Cyclonic Storms, Depression, Anxiety, Anxiety Disorders, Delivery of Health Care, Integrated, Unified Protocol, Hurricane Harvey, Natural disaster, Emotional disorders

Abstract

The Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (UP) has demonstrated efficacy for treating anxiety and depression. However, there are limited effectiveness data when conducted in real-world settings with diverse populations, including those with trauma. We evaluated treatment outcomes in a naturalistic, community setting among 279 adults who received UP following Hurricane Harvey. We examined change in overall clinical severity, depression and anxiety symptoms, functional impairment, and baseline outcome predictors (i.e., demographic characteristics, impact from Hurricane Harvey, co-occurrence of depression and anxiety symptoms). Global clinical severity, depression and anxiety symptoms, and functional impairment decreased by end-of-treatment. Participants experienced global symptom improvement to a lesser degree than demonstrated in efficacy trials. Participants who experienced greater storm impact reported larger reductions in anxiety symptoms than those less impacted by Harvey. Further studies evaluating the effectiveness of the UP post-disaster and with diverse samples are needed.