Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Menopausal Symptoms
Condition: Menopausal Depression
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      This study examined the effectiveness of a new cognitive-behavioural therapy for menopausal
      symptoms (CBT-Meno). Half of participants were randomly assigned to the 12-week CBT-Meno
      program and half to a 12-week waitlist. Common menopause symptoms (i.e., hot flashes/night
      sweats, depression, anxiety, poor sleep, and sexual concerns) were assessed at baseline,
      12-weeks post-baseline, and (for women in the CBT-Meno condition) at 3-month follow-up.
    

Detailed description: 
      Women going through the menopausal transition often experience adverse physical changes
      (e.g., hot flashes/night sweats, sleep difficulties, sexual concerns) in addition to
      emotional difficulties (e.g., depression, anxiety) that can significantly impact functioning
      and overall quality of life. To date, hormone therapy (HT) has been the most commonly used
      treatment to relieve symptoms of menopause. However, reports have questioned the safety of HT
      long-term (e.g., risk of heart attacks, strokes, cancer) for some women.
      Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), has been proposed as a low-risk treatment for menopausal
      symptoms. The investigators developed a comprehensive non-pharmacological, CBT for menopausal
      symptoms (CBT-Meno), published the treatment manual (Green, McCabe, & Soares, 2012), and
      obtained initial evidence supporting the effectiveness of CBT-Meno in a single-sample pilot
      study (Green et al., 2013). The goal in the study reported here was to conduct a larger
      randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of the CBT-Meno program compared to
      a waitlist condition. The investigators hypothesized that participants would experience less
      intense/disruptive hot flashes/night sweats, reduced depression and anxiety, improvement in
      sleep difficulties, and sexual concerns. The investigators also predicted that these benefits
      would be maintained at 3-month follow-up and that participants would report high treatment
      satisfaction.
    

Intervention name(s): CBT for Menopausal Symptoms (CBT-Meno)
Intervention type(s): Other
Intervention description(s): This 12-week CBT-based group treatment program consists of a combination of components including: a) psychoeducation about the nature of menopause including examination about thoughts and beliefs, b) cognitive and behavioural modification related to vasomotor symptoms, c) cognitive-behavioural strategies for depression, e) cognitive-behavioural strategies for anxiety and panic, d) sleep hygiene and cognitive-behavioural strategies for sleep difficulties, f) psychoeducation and lifestyle and behavioural modifications for urogenital complaints, and g) psychoeducation and cognitive-behavioural strategies for sexual concerns.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: A single-blind, randomized controlled trial was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the CBT-Meno program compared to a waitlist comparison condition.
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Vasomotor; Symptoms