Readiness and Progress in Emotion Regulation Therapy

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

• Ages 18 to 65 years
• All sexes
• No healthy volunteers
• Adult, Older adult

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

About this study

Conditions

Rumination, Worry, Self-Criticism, Anxiety, Depression, Distress, Emotional

Being tested

Emotion Regulation Therapy via Telehealth

Keywords

Worry, Rumination, Self-Criticism, Emotion Regulation Therapy, Emotion Regulation, Treatment Mechanisms

Medical subject headings

Rumination Syndrome, Anxiety Disorders, Depression, Emotional Regulation

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

• Emotion Regulation Therapy via TelehealthBehavioural

  Also called Emotion Regulation Therapy (ERT)

  The initial stage of treatment focuses on psychoeducation about anxiety/depression, the impact that these cognitions/behaviors/emotions have on recent situations, and self-monitoring of worry/anxiety/depression. The sessions focus on the development of skills that help understand and regulate one's emotional experience (i.e., recognizing emotions when they are happening, identifying the meaning of a given emotion experience, soothing oneself in the context of negative emotional experiences). Following the development of these skills, sessions focus on the application of somatic awareness and emotion regulation skills while imagining emotionally evocative themes. The remaining session focuses on terminating therapy, relapse prevention, and future goals. An Internet-based online platform will be used to promote engagement with and increase accessibility to between-session skills practice and treatment-related activities (e.g., self-monitoring, session summaries, worksheets).

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

1. Weekly Assessment of Change in Attentional Control

   The Attentional Control Scale (ACS) is a 20-item measure used to measure difficulties with concentration associated with problems regulating emotions. Items are rated on a 4-point scale from 1 (almost never) to 4 (always), and raw scores range from 20 to 80. Higher scores indicate better attentional control.

   Measured: Weekly from Baseline (2 weeks) through Treatment (12-22 weeks) and Follow-Up (4 weeks)

2. Weekly Assessment of Change in Decentering

   The decentering subscale of the Experiences Questionnaire (EQ-D) is an 11-item subscale assessing one's ability to distance themselves from their emotional experience. Items are rated on a 5-point scale from 1 (never) to 5 (all the time), and total scores range from 11 to 55. Higher scores indicate better ability to distancing oneself from one's emotional experience.

   Measured: Weekly from Baseline (2 weeks) through Treatment (12-22 weeks) and Follow-Up (4 weeks)

3. Weekly Assessment of Change in Reappraisal

   The reappraisal subscale of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ-R) is a 6-item measure of the habitual use of cognitive reappraisal to regulate emotions. Items are rated on a 7-point scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree), and total scores range from 6 to 42. Higher scores indicate a better ability to regulate emotions using the strategy of reappraisal.

   Measured: Weekly from Baseline (2 weeks) through Treatment (12-22 weeks) and Follow-Up (4 weeks)

4. Weekly Assessment of Change in Valued Living/Action

   The Valuing Questionnaire (VQ) is a 10-item measure of the degree to which respondents have lived according to their personal values over the past week. Items are rated on a 7-point scale from 0 (not at all true) to 6 (completely true). The VQ yields two 5-item subscales: Progress, which assesses enactment of values and perseverance toward them, and Obstruction, which assesses disruption of valued living by avoidance of unwanted experiences and distraction from values. Each subscale ranges from 0 to 30. Higher Progress scores indicate more valued living, and higher Obstruction scores indicate greater interference with valued living.

   Measured: Baseline, 1st Treatment Session (2 Weeks Post-Baseline), Follow-Up (4 Weeks Post-Treatment)

5. Weekly Assessment of Change in Clarity of Approach-Avoidance Motivation

   The Mental Representation of Approach Avoidance Questionnaire (MRAAQ) is a 42-item self-report assessment designed to capture the mental representation of approach-avoidance motivation. Respondents rate how true each statement is for them when they are in an emotional moment, on a 5-point scale from 0 (not at all true for me) to 4 (very true for me). Items are summed into six subscales: Anticipation of Threat (8 items; range 0-32), Consummating Safety (7 items; range 0-28), Anticipation of Reward (8 items; range 0-32), Consummating Reward (7 items; range 0-28), Loss (6 items; range 0-24), and Motivational Clarity (6 items; range 0-24). Higher scores on each subscale indicate greater levels of that motivational process. Higher Anticipation of Threat and Loss scores reflect a worse outcome, whereas higher Consummating Safety, Anticipation of Reward, Consummating Reward, and Motivational Clarity scores reflect a better outcome.

   Measured: Baseline, 1st Treatment Session (2 Weeks Post-Baseline), Follow-Up (4 Weeks Post-Treatment)

6. Weekly Assessment of Change in Rumination

   The Rumination-Reflection Questionnaire (RRQ) is a 12-item measure that assesses past-focused rumination with specificity regarding the types of rumination that people may experience. Items are rated on a 5-point scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree), and total scores range from 12 to 60. Higher scores on this measure indicate greater rumination.

   Measured: Weekly from Baseline (2 weeks) through Treatment (12-22 weeks) and Follow-Up (4 weeks)

7. Weekly Assessment of Change in Worry

   The Penn State Worry Questionnaire - Past Week (PSWQ-PW) is a 15-item adapted version of the original PSWQ that assesses the extent to which worry has been excessive, uncontrollable, and pervasive in the past week. Items are rated on a 7-point scale from 0 (never) to 6 (almost always), and total scores range from 0 to 90. Higher scores on this measure indicate greater worry in the past week.

   Measured: Weekly from Baseline (2 weeks) through Treatment (12-22 weeks) and Follow-Up (4 weeks)

8. Weekly Assessment of Change in Self-Criticism

   The self-judgment subscale of the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) contains 5-items and assesses the tendency to self-criticize. Items are rated on a 5-point scale from 1 (almost never) to 5 (almost always), and total scores range from 5 to 25. Higher scores on this measure indicate greater self-criticism.

   Measured: Weekly from Baseline (2 weeks) through Treatment (12-22 weeks) and Follow-Up (4 weeks)

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

1. First posted17 Mar 2026
2. Study start24 Oct 2025
3. Primary completion1 Aug 2028 (estimated)
4. Study completion1 Sep 2028 (estimated)

Resources

• Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
• Other trials for RuminationStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
• What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.