Feasibility of a cognitive behavioral group therapy program for individuals with post-COVID-19 syndrome

Feasibility of a cognitive behavioral group therapy program for individuals with post-COVID-19 syndrome - CBT-PCS

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Phase 2

Study type

Interventional

Source

DRKS

Registry ID

DRKS00031219

Enrollment

Registered

2023-02-03

Start date

2022-02-03

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2025-10-06

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

U09

Interventions

Group 1: Cognitive behavioral therapy for post-COVID-19 syndrome (8 sessions à 60 minutes with a frequency of 2 sessions/week

incl. routine inpatient treatment)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: (i) a verified SARS-CoV-2 infection at least 12 weeks ago (ii) persistent somatic symptoms attributed to the post-COVID-19 syndrome (iii) literacy in German (iv) written informed consent

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: (i) hospitalization during acute COVID-19 (ii) diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum disorders or substance addiction (iii) neurological or internal diseases that may better explain symptomatology

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Therapy process variables (i) Evaluation of group therapy sessions: Measure(s): Group therapy session evaluation forms (GTS; Zoubek, 2013) Assessment: after each session (ii) Adverse events during the intervention Measure(s): Unwanted Events in Group Therapy Scale (UE-G; Linden, Walter, Fritz, & Muschalla, 2015) Assessment: post intervention	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Somatic and psychopathological symptom burden Outcome(s), measure(s): (i) Fatigue, Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS; Krupp, LaRocca, Muir-Nash, & Steinberg, 1989) (ii) Somatic symptoms, Patient Health Questionnaire - somatic symptom scale (PHQ-15; Kroenke, Spitzer, & Williams, 2002) (iii) Psychobehavioral features, Somatic Symptom Disorder – B criteria scale (SSD-12; Toussaint, Löwe, Brähler, & Jordan, 2017) (iv) Depressive symptoms, Patient Health Questionnaire - depression scale (PHQ-9; Kroenke & Spitzer, 2002) (v) Anxiety symptoms, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire (GAD-7; Spitzer, Kroenke, Williams, & Löwe, 2006) (vi) Self efficacy, Hamburg Modules for the Assessment of Psychosocial Health in Clinical Practice (HEALTH-49; Rabung et al., 2009) (vii) Illness-related cognitions, Illness Cognition Questionnaire (ICQ; Evers et al., 2001) Assessment: pre and post intervention	—

Measure

Time frame

Somatic and psychopathological symptom burden Outcome(s), measure(s): (i) Fatigue, Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS; Krupp, LaRocca, Muir-Nash, & Steinberg, 1989) (ii) Somatic symptoms, Patient Health Questionnaire - somatic symptom scale (PHQ-15; Kroenke, Spitzer, & Williams, 2002) (iii) Psychobehavioral features, Somatic Symptom Disorder – B criteria scale (SSD-12; Toussaint, Löwe, Brähler, & Jordan, 2017) (iv) Depressive symptoms, Patient Health Questionnaire - depression scale (PHQ-9; Kroenke & Spitzer, 2002) (v) Anxiety symptoms, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire (GAD-7; Spitzer, Kroenke, Williams, & Löwe, 2006) (vi) Self efficacy, Hamburg Modules for the Assessment of Psychosocial Health in Clinical Practice (HEALTH-49; Rabung et al., 2009) (vii) Illness-related cognitions, Illness Cognition Questionnaire (ICQ; Evers et al., 2001) Assessment: pre and post intervention

—

Countries

Germany

Contacts

Public ContactMichael Witthöft

Psychologisches Institut, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz

witthoef@uni-mainz.de+49 6131 39 39202

Outcome results

None listed

Source: DRKS (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026