Trials (Apr 2023)

Internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for tinnitus compared to Internet-delivered mindfulness for tinnitus: a study protocol of a randomized controlled trial

  • Jonas Eimontas,
  • Goda Gegieckaitė,
  • Irena Asačiova,
  • Nikol Stičinskaitė,
  • Livija Arcimavičiūtė,
  • Dovilė Savickaitė,
  • Donata Vaitiekūnaitė-Zubriakovienė,
  • Marius Polianskis,
  • Jennifer Gans,
  • Eldre Beukes,
  • Vinaya Manchaiah,
  • Gerhard Andersson,
  • Eugenijus Lesinskas

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-023-07299-9
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 24, no. 1
pp. 1 – 12

Abstract

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Abstract Background Tinnitus affects around 15% of the population and can be a debilitating condition for a sizeable part of them. However, effective evidence-based treatments are scarce. One recommended treatment for tinnitus is cognitive behavioral therapy which has been found to be effective when delivered online. However, more treatments including mindfulness-based interventions have been studied recently in an attempt to facilitate the availability of effective treatments. There are promising findings showing great effects in reducing tinnitus-induced distress and some evidence about the efficacy of such intervention delivered online. However, there is a lack of evidence on how these two treatments compare against one another. Therefore, the aim of this study will be to compare Internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for tinnitus against an Internet-delivered mindfulness-based tinnitus stress reduction intervention in a three-armed randomized controlled trial with a waiting list control condition. Methods This study will be a randomized controlled trial seeking to recruit Lithuanian-speaking individuals suffering from chronic tinnitus. The self-report measure Tinnitus Handicap Inventory will be used. Self-referred participants will be randomized into one of three study arms: Internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy, Internet-delivered mindfulness-based tinnitus stress reduction intervention, or a waiting-list control group. Post-treatment measures will be taken at the end of the 8-week-long intervention (or waiting). Long-term efficacy will be measured 3 and 12 months post-treatment. Discussion Internet-delivered interventions offer a range of benefits for delivering evidence-based treatments. This is the first randomized controlled trial to directly compare Internet-delivered CBT and MBTSR for tinnitus in a non-inferiority trial. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05705323. Registered on January 30, 2023.

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