Reduced anxiety and depression predict improved health-related quality of life in school-based CBT

Pal (Pål) Teigland Lystrup; Bente Storm Mowatt Haugland; Gro Janne Wergeland; Asle Hoffart; Ronald M. Rapee; Rolf Gjestad

doi:10.1016/j.brat.2025.104855

Reduced anxiety and depression predict improved health-related quality of life in school-based CBT

Pal (Pål) Teigland Lystrup^*, Bente Storm Mowatt Haugland, Gro Janne Wergeland, Asle Hoffart, Ronald M. Rapee, Rolf Gjestad

^*Corresponding author for this work

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Abstract

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) adds important information about the quality and usefulness of interventions. It has not previously been examined in school-based indicated prevention for anxiety in adolescents. Using secondary analyses of data from a randomized controlled trial of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) interventions for anxious adolescents (N = 302; mean age 14), we examined whether HRQOL increased during and after treatment. Additionally, we examined whether changes and pre-treatment levels in anxiety and depression symptoms predicted changes in and final levels of HRQOL. This was done using latent growth curve modeling. Results showed that the interventions increased levels of HRQOL and that the levels of HRQOL were sustained at 1-year follow-up, independent of the timing of change. Pre-treatment levels and changes in symptoms of anxiety and depression predicted the changes and final levels in HRQOL. The results indicate that the school-based indicated-preventive interventions may have benefits on HRQOL in addition to reduction in symptoms of anxiety and depression and that these benefits are associated with changes in symptoms.

Original language	English
Article number	104855
Pages (from-to)	1-9
Number of pages	9
Journal	Behaviour Research and Therapy
Volume	193
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2025.104855
Publication status	Published - Oct 2025

Bibliographical note

Copyright the Author(s) 2025. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

Keywords

Adolescence
Anxiety
CBT
Indicated prevention
Quality of life
School-based

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title = "Reduced anxiety and depression predict improved health-related quality of life in school-based CBT",

abstract = "Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) adds important information about the quality and usefulness of interventions. It has not previously been examined in school-based indicated prevention for anxiety in adolescents. Using secondary analyses of data from a randomized controlled trial of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) interventions for anxious adolescents (N = 302; mean age 14), we examined whether HRQOL increased during and after treatment. Additionally, we examined whether changes and pre-treatment levels in anxiety and depression symptoms predicted changes in and final levels of HRQOL. This was done using latent growth curve modeling. Results showed that the interventions increased levels of HRQOL and that the levels of HRQOL were sustained at 1-year follow-up, independent of the timing of change. Pre-treatment levels and changes in symptoms of anxiety and depression predicted the changes and final levels in HRQOL. The results indicate that the school-based indicated-preventive interventions may have benefits on HRQOL in addition to reduction in symptoms of anxiety and depression and that these benefits are associated with changes in symptoms.",

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note = "Copyright the Author(s) 2025. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.",

year = "2025",

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doi = "10.1016/j.brat.2025.104855",

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AU - Lystrup, Pal (Pål) Teigland

AU - Haugland, Bente Storm Mowatt

AU - Wergeland, Gro Janne

AU - Hoffart, Asle

AU - Rapee, Ronald M.

AU - Gjestad, Rolf

N1 - Copyright the Author(s) 2025. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

PY - 2025/10

Y1 - 2025/10

N2 - Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) adds important information about the quality and usefulness of interventions. It has not previously been examined in school-based indicated prevention for anxiety in adolescents. Using secondary analyses of data from a randomized controlled trial of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) interventions for anxious adolescents (N = 302; mean age 14), we examined whether HRQOL increased during and after treatment. Additionally, we examined whether changes and pre-treatment levels in anxiety and depression symptoms predicted changes in and final levels of HRQOL. This was done using latent growth curve modeling. Results showed that the interventions increased levels of HRQOL and that the levels of HRQOL were sustained at 1-year follow-up, independent of the timing of change. Pre-treatment levels and changes in symptoms of anxiety and depression predicted the changes and final levels in HRQOL. The results indicate that the school-based indicated-preventive interventions may have benefits on HRQOL in addition to reduction in symptoms of anxiety and depression and that these benefits are associated with changes in symptoms.

AB - Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) adds important information about the quality and usefulness of interventions. It has not previously been examined in school-based indicated prevention for anxiety in adolescents. Using secondary analyses of data from a randomized controlled trial of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) interventions for anxious adolescents (N = 302; mean age 14), we examined whether HRQOL increased during and after treatment. Additionally, we examined whether changes and pre-treatment levels in anxiety and depression symptoms predicted changes in and final levels of HRQOL. This was done using latent growth curve modeling. Results showed that the interventions increased levels of HRQOL and that the levels of HRQOL were sustained at 1-year follow-up, independent of the timing of change. Pre-treatment levels and changes in symptoms of anxiety and depression predicted the changes and final levels in HRQOL. The results indicate that the school-based indicated-preventive interventions may have benefits on HRQOL in addition to reduction in symptoms of anxiety and depression and that these benefits are associated with changes in symptoms.

KW - Adolescence

KW - Anxiety

KW - CBT

KW - Indicated prevention

KW - Quality of life

KW - School-based

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JF - Behaviour Research and Therapy

M1 - 104855

ER -

Reduced anxiety and depression predict improved health-related quality of life in school-based CBT

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