Application of the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders among homeless women: A feasibility study

Abstract

Despite the high prevalence of emotional disorders and comorbidity among homeless women, there is a shortage of studies focused on interventions targeted at this population. This study aims to examine the feasibility of the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders among homeless women, in relation to its quantitative effects on attendance, satisfaction, usefulness, emotional state and group cohesion. The trial was registered at clinicalstrials.gov as NCT04392856. We employed a one group pre-test post-test design. The program consisted of 12 group sessions of approximately 90 minutes each. Treatment was provided to 54 homeless women, who were recruited from four different shelters in Madrid (Spain). The average attendance rate was 69.44%. Participants reported high levels of satisfaction (M = 8.97, SD = 1.45; out of 10), perceived usefulness (M = 9.10, SD = 1.42; out of 10), mood state (M = 6.11, SD = 1.02; out of 7) and group cohesion (M = 6.34, SD = 0.86; out of 7). There was a significant increase in the total score across these four variables following treatment. These findings suggest that the Unified Protocol is a feasible intervention for homeless women and may be beneficial; however, further studies that include a control group and a larger sample are on progress to test its effectiveness.