“Despite the Differences, We Were All the Same”. Group Cohesion in Diagnosis-Specific and Transdiagnostic CBT Groups for Anxiety and Depression: A Qualitative Study

Anne Bryde Christensen, Signe Wahrén, Nina Reinholt, Stig Poulsen, Morten Hvenegaard, Erik Simonsen and Sidse Arnfred
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Anne Bryde Christensen: Research Unit for Psychotherapy & Psychopathology, Psychiatry West, Region Zealand, 4200 Slagelse, Denmark
Signe Wahrén: Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, 1353 København K, Denmark
Nina Reinholt: Research Unit for Psychotherapy & Psychopathology, Psychiatry West, Region Zealand, 4200 Slagelse, Denmark
Stig Poulsen: Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, 1353 København K, Denmark
Morten Hvenegaard: Mental Health Services, Capital Region of Denmark, 2200 København N, Denmark
Erik Simonsen: Psychiatric Research Unit, Region Zealand, 4200 Slagelse, Denmark
Sidse Arnfred: Research Unit for Psychotherapy & Psychopathology, Psychiatry West, Region Zealand, 4200 Slagelse, Denmark

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 10, 1-14

Abstract: Group cohesion refers to a sense of belonging, mutual support and identification with other group members. Group cohesion has been associated with better outcomes, lower drop-out rates, more interpersonal support and better participation in psychotherapy. Nevertheless, the role of group cohesion in CBT has not yet received much attention. The rationale for delivering CBT in groups is that patients can model themselves through each other due to their similarities in symptoms. However, there has recently been a shift towards transdiagnostic CBT protocols, in which patients with varied diagnoses participate in the same groups. This shift challenges the rationale of delivering CBT in groups, and it is therefore highly important to understand if and how group cohesion develops in mixed diagnoses CBT groups. The current study used a qualitative comparative framework to investigate the patients’ experiences of group cohesion in diagnosis-specific versus transdiagnostic CBT groups. Twenty-three patients were interviewed with semi-structured interviews upon completion of the treatment. Participants had a primary diagnosis of MDD, panic disorder, agoraphobia or social anxiety disorder. A comparative thematic analysis was carried out. Three themes were found: the move from differences to similarities , the role of group cohesion in group CBT and factors helpful and hindering to group cohesion. Group cohesion developed across groups and was considered highly important in both diagnosis-specific and transdiagnostic CBT groups.

Keywords: group psychotherapy; transdiagnostic therapy; cognitive behavioral therapy; group cohesion; anxiety; depression; mental health services (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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