| Sumario: | Objectives: The study aimed to compare the efficacy of eight weekly sessions of a self-administered online CBT treatment (cCBT;n=51) to a therapist-assisted email CBT treatment (eCBT;n=50) in University students.Design: The design was a randomised parallel group trial. The study randomised participants with symptoms of depression to one of two available treatments.Method: Participants were offered eight weekly sessions of either cCBT or eCBT. Participants completed the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation – Outcome Measure (CORE-OM) at pre-and post-treatment, at weeks 16 and 32 follow-up. The Working Alliance Inventory-Short Form (WAI-SR) was completed at weeks 2, 4, and 6.Results: For both groups, pre-post within group effect sizes reported were large for the BDI-II and the CORE-OM and these were maintained at follow-up. Perceptions of working alliance were similar in each group, but Bond was significantly stronger for the eCBT condition. WAI scores correlated more positively with the outcome on BDI-II for those in the eCBT condition than the cCBT condition, but not significantly.Conclusion: There were no significant differences between the two online treatments, both reduced depressive symptoms and improved general functioning. Similarly, at post-treatment and follow-up, clinical improvement and recovery was demonstrated for both groups equally. The study demonstrates the possibility for cCBT in a university setting that may contribute to addressing the shortcomings in meeting increasing demands that mental health services presently face.
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