Efficacy of an internet-based version of the unified protocol for transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorders in adolescents (iUP-A): A randomized active-controlled trial
Background: Emotional disorders are highly prevalent among adolescents and often co-occur, underscoring the need for transdiagnostic interventions. Internet-delivered interventions offer a promising avenue to increase access to evidence-based care for youth. Objective: ). Method: effects sizes to assess the magnitude of change. Results: Participants in the iUP-A condition showed significant improvements from pre- to post-treatment across all self-reported and clinician-rated measures, whereas no such improvements were observed in the control condition. Substantial gains were observed across all outcomes, with large effect sizes maintained or enhanced throughout the follow-up period. Improvements were evident across multiple domains, including internalizing symptoms, anxiety and depressive disorder-symptoms, and overall functioning. Conclusions: The iUP-A appears to be an effective and feasible digital intervention for adolescents with emotional disorders. Findings support its potential for broad implementation in clinical and community settings.
Authors
- Julia García-Escalera (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9288-4071)
- Julia C. Schmitt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4940-8539)
- Paloma Chorot (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5442-2917)
- Bonifacio Sandín (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7206-6410)
- Rosa M. Valiente (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2369-3295)
- Sandra Arnáez
- Olimpia Díaz-Mandado
Institutions
- Universitat de València (ES)
- Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (ES)
- Ruhr University Bochum (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Internet Interventions
- Published
- 2026-04-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.invent.2026.100948
- Primary Topic
- Digital Mental Health Interventions
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- University of Miami
- Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación