Currently submitted to: JMIR Research Protocols
Date Submitted: Aug 28, 2026
Open Peer Review Period: Aug 28, 2026 - Oct 23, 2026
(currently open for review)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Videoconference-based versus Face-to-Face Outpatient Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Patients with Depression: Study Protocol for a Multicenter, Randomized Noninferiority trial (ViP-GROUP)
ABSTRACT
Background:
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Although group cognitive behavioral therapy (GCBT) is an effective and cost-efficient treatment, barriers to face-to-face (F2F) delivery limit its accessibility. Videoconference-based (VCB) GCBT may improve accessibility. However, evidence for its effectiveness in MDD remains limited. Objective The primary objective of this trial is to evaluate whether VCB-GCBT is noninferior to F2F-GCBT in reducing depressive symptoms in adults with MDD. Secondary objectives include general psychopathology, depression-related knowledge, implementation outcomes (feasibility, fidelity, and acceptability), and maintenance of treatment effects at 3-month follow-up. Longer-term outcomes assessed at the 6- and 12-month follow-ups will be reported in subsequent publications.
Objective:
The primary objective of this trial is to evaluate whether VCB-GCBT is noninferior to F2F-GCBT in reducing depressive symptoms in adults with MDD. Secondary objectives include general psychopathology, depression-related knowledge, implementation outcomes (feasibility, fidelity, and acceptability), and maintenance of treatment effects at 3-month follow-up. Longer-term outcomes assessed at the 6- and 12-month follow-ups will be reported in subsequent publications.
Methods:
This protocol describes a multicenter randomized noninferiority trial with a target sample size of 498 adults with a current depressive episode and Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) score of ≥14 across outpatient study centers in Germany. Participants are randomized (1:1) to receive either VCB-GCBT or F2F-GCBT. Both study groups receive the same manualized 12-session GCBT program either by videoconference or F2F. The primary outcome is depressive symptom severity at posttreatment (T1), assessed using the BDI-II. Secondary outcomes include general psychopathology, depression-related knowledge, feasibility, fidelity, acceptability, and depressive symptom severity at the 3-month follow-up. Analyses will follow the intention-to-treat principle using linear mixed models.
Results:
Recruitment began in October 2022 and was completed in March 2026. A total of 455 participants were randomized. Follow-up assessments are ongoing, and no primary outcome analyses have yet been conducted.
Conclusions:
This trial will provide evidence on whether VCB-GCBT is noninferior to F2F-GCBT for adults with MDD. If noninferiority is demonstrated, the findings may support broader implementation of videoconference-based group CBT in routine mental health care. Clinical Trial: German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS): DRKS00029916; registered on October 31, 2022.
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