Effectiveness of the Group Unified Protocol for Emotional Disorders in Adults in a Public Mental Health Setting

Anxiety and depressive disorders are among the leading causes of disability and contributors to the global burden of disease worldwide. To address this public health challenge, stepped-care models have been developed to organize treatment according to patients' clinical needs and progression. Within this framework, the transdiagnostic approach proposes that emotional disorders share common underlying transdiagnostic mechanisms, including elevated negative affect and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies such as emotional avoidance.

Accordingly, the Unified Protocol for the Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (UP) has emerged as an evidence-based intervention for anxiety, depressive, and related emotional disorders. The UP aims to enhance adaptive emotion regulation and lower maladaptive behavioral avoidance, thereby promoting improvements across a broad range of emotional symptoms.

This study aims to adapt and implement the Spanish version of the UP in a group format for adults diagnosed with an emotional disorder receiving treatment within the Spanish Public Mental Health System. In addition, the study will evaluate the intervention's effectiveness, feasibility, acceptability, and cost-effectiveness. The intervention will be delivered in Public Mental Health Units of the La Rioja Health Service.

Adults aged 18 to 65 years diagnosed with an emotional disorder will be recruited. The study will employ a randomized controlled trial design with two parallel groups: a Treatment as Usual (TAU) group and an experimental group (UP + TAU). Assessments will be conducted at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and 3-month follow-up. Outcome measures will assess anxiety, depression, somatic symptoms, transdiagnostic processes, functional impairment, quality of life, participant satisfaction, and intervention cost-effectiveness.

Inclusion criteria

• Aged 18 to 65 years.
• Ability and willingness to provide written informed consent.
• Sufficient proficiency in Spanish to participate in the intervention and complete study assessments.
• Sufficient cognitive capacity to understand the intervention content.
• A primary diagnosis of an emotional disorder with mild, moderate, or severe symptom severity, including Depressive Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, Trauma and Stressor-Related Disorders, Dissociative Disorders and Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders.
• Presence of emotional symptoms (e.g., anxiety, depressive, or phobic symptoms), somatic symptoms, obsessive symptoms, and/or avoidance behaviors associated with clinically significant impairment, as indicated by moderate or higher scores on the GAD-7, PHQ-9, and/or PHQ-15.

Exclusion criteria

• Refusal to provide informed consent or withdrawal of consent during the study.
• Current severe substance use disorder or behavioral addiction.
• Current high suicide risk.
• Current psychotic symptoms or psychotic disorder.
• Neurological disorders or severe medical conditions that could interfere with participation in or adherence to the intervention.
• Intellectual disability, significant language difficulties, or any other condition that may impair the participant's ability to understand the intervention content.