A Pragmatic Trial of Brief CBT for Anxiety in VA Primary Care

This multisite trial (Houston, New Orleans and San Antonio) will use a pragmatic randomized trial design to examine the effectiveness and implementation potential of a brief cognitive behavioral therapy(bCBT) intervention for anxiety delivered either in-person or via VA Video Connect-Home (VVC-H), according to patient preference. Brief CBT will be delivered by existing Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI) providers at three large VAMCs (Houston, New Orleans, and San Antonio). Aim 1 will examine the clinical effectiveness of the bCBT intervention vs. Enhanced Usual Care (EUC) for anxiety at 4-, 8-, and 12-month follow-ups. Aim 2 will determine factors associated with bCBT response and explore Veteran demographic and clinical factors associated with VVC-H engagement. An exploratory aim will use mixed, qualitative and quantitative methods to better understand implementation successes and challenges related to delivery and impact of bCBT anxiety and VVC-H use in the PCMHI setting. The primary hypothesis is that anxiety outcomes, as measured by the General Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7) will be superior at 4-, 8-, and 12-month follow up for patients who are assigned to receive bCBT vs. EUC. In addition, participants will be asked to complete the Diversity Supplement measures and qualitative interview to evaluate whether sociocultural factors are associated with the severity and type of anxiety symptoms among Veterans of different race/ethnicity groups.