Group therapy for anxiety disorders in public mental health settings

The aim of the current study is to assess the outcome of a group psychotherapy intervention in patients with generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder with or without agoraphobia and adjustment disorder with anxious or depressive symptoms. A total of 107 patients were included in the study, 73.8% were women and 26.2% men, aged from 21 and 62, from a Mental Health Center and a Primary Care Center, both of which are part of the Maresme Sanitary Consortium (Barcelona). The cognitive-behavioural therapy consisted of twenty 90-minute weekly sessions. The participants completed a semistructured interview that included clinical measures of anxiety, depression, somatization, perceived emotional intelligence and other measures related with health (self-esteem and life satisfaction). The results showed significant improvements in symptom reduction, as well as an increase in self-esteem and perceived quality of life (p ≤ .001) for all diagnostic groups.