Does group cognitive-behavioral therapy module type moderate depression symptom changes in substance abuse treatment clients?

Little is known about the effect of group therapy treatment modules on symptom change during treatment and on outcomes post-treatment. Secondary analyses of depressive symptoms collected from two group therapy studies conducted in substance use treatment settings were examined (n = 132 and n = 44). Change in PHQ-9 scores was modeled using longitudinal growth modeling combined with random effects modeling of session effects, with time-in-treatment interacted with module theme to test moderation. In both studies, depressive symptoms significantly decreased during the active treatment phase. Symptom reductions were not significantly moderated by module theme in the larger study. However, the smaller pilot study's results suggest that future examination of module effects is warranted, given the data are compatible with differential reductions in reported symptoms being associated with attending people-themed module sessions versus thoughts-themed sessions.