Internet-based CBT for young adults with low self-esteem: a randomized, controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Low self-esteem can be disabling for young individuals, negatively impacting school performance, relationships, and mental or physical health. Cognitive-behavioral conceptualizations and treatments for low self-esteem exist but have not been applied or evaluated in a young adult population. TRIAL DESIGN: To address this gap, this study evaluated a novel Internet-based CBT (ICBT) for young adults (18-25 years) suffering from low self-esteem in a randomized controlled trial. METHODS: Eighty-six participants were recruited and randomized to either seven weeks of therapist-guided ICBT (n = 43) or a wait-list control condition (n = 43). Measures of self-esteem, self-compassion, depression, anxiety, and quality of life were assessed pre-and post treatment. Roseberg self-esteem scale (RSES-10) was the primary outcome. RESULTS: The results suggest that therapist-guided ICBT can be an effective way to strengthen self-esteem in young adults, revealing a large between group effect size in favor of the treatment group (RSES-10; d = 1.24). Statistically significant results were also found on the secondary measures, resulting in moderate to large effect sizes. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that ICBT can be an effective way to treat low self-esteem in young adults. The results are preliminary and warrants further evaluation and replication.