A brief cognitive behavioural therapy psychoeducational group for Chinese people with chronic illnesses: an evaluation study

Abstract

This pilot study attempted to examine the effectiveness of a brief cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) psychoeducational group for Chinese people with chronic illness in Hong Kong. It adopted a single group design, and 52 participants joined the group. A questionnaire with three outcome measures, measuring general mental health, quality of life and dysfunctional attitudes and beliefs, was administered to participants at pre-test, post-test and six month follow-up. Repeated measures ANOVAs were employed and revealed positive changes in most of the outcome measures across the three time points. Cohen’s d showed a moderate to large effect size for most outcome measures. From a step care perspective, a culturally attuned brief CBT psychoeducational group may serve as an early intervention and a triage to attract suitable people with chronic illness to engage in the treatment process.