# Improving Veteran Functioning with Intensive Transdiagnostic CBT for Anxiety

> **NIH VA I01** · MICHAEL E DEBAKEY VA MEDICAL CENTER · 2022 · —

## Abstract

Background
Anxiety and trauma spectrum disorders are highly prevalent among Veterans from all war eras,
causing significant impairment in social and occupational functioning and poor quality of life
across the lifespan. Posttraumatic stress disorder, panic, social anxiety, and generalized anxiety
disorders are associated with substantial decrements in health, quality of life, interpersonal and
vocational functioning. Many Veterans with mental health concerns report experiencing difficulty
in social functioning, productivity, community involvement, and self-care. Although cognitive
behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety-based disorders is highly effective, conventional CBT
formats require 3 to 4 months to complete, which is often a barrier for Veterans because it
requires substantial time away from work, school, and other important life activities. Thus,
relatively few Veterans undergo and complete treatment. Preliminary data support the feasibility,
effectiveness, and acceptability of an intensive weekend treatment delivery format and show
improvement in functional and clinical outcomes.
Objectives
The current project proposes to evaluate a brief but intensive transdiagnostic CBT that
simultaneously targets multiple anxiety disorders with or without co-occurring depression. This
will be accomplished by evaluating an innovative treatment delivery method that directly
addresses barriers associated with standard psychotherapy delivery. The main objectives are to
(1) determine if an intensive CBT protocol (iCBT) delivered over one weekend can improve
community reintegration, quality of life, and emotional functioning compared with standard CBT
(sCBT) and treatment as usual (TAU); (2) examine the rates of psychotherapy engagement in
iCBT compared with sCBT; and (3) obtain a deeper understanding, through qualitative
interviews with Veterans and their family members, of how iCBT and environmental factors may
impact the process of reintegration and quality of life.
Methods
The proposed study is a randomized controlled trial with 3 treatment arms. A transdiagnostic
group CBT protocol will be compared in a compressed weekend format (iCBT) with a standard
group delivery format involving 3 months of weekly sessions (sCBT). A treatment as usual
(TAU) condition will be included to compare outcomes. Veterans with one or more anxiety-
based disorder(s) (with or without co-occurring depression) will be randomized to one of the
three treatment arms. Veterans will be asked to attend a total of four assessments during the
study including a baseline evaluation, 1-month, 3-month, and 6-month follow-ups. Qualitative
interviews will be conducted with Veterans who completed iCBT and family members.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10554233
- **Project number:** 5I01RX002160-05
- **Recipient organization:** MICHAEL E DEBAKEY VA MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Ellen Teng
- **Activity code:** I01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-03-01 → 2022-09-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10554233

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10554233, Improving Veteran Functioning with Intensive Transdiagnostic CBT for Anxiety (5I01RX002160-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10554233. Licensed CC0.

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