CONSORT flow diagram of the study.
RECRUITMENT
After recruitment, participants were randomly allocated to a counseling or a waiting list. Randomization was based upon the sequence of the participants’ arrivals in the center, i.e. the first participant was allocated to the group receiving counseling immediately (VBC group), the second to the waiting list (Waiting-list group) and so forth. The participants were not aware of the allocation procedure handled by the study coordinator. Due to ethical concerns and in line with Ipso policies, the waiting period was limited to four weeks. A few randomized participants in the waiting list group (n = 3) who had not fallen under the exclusion criteria but required urgent counselling were reassigned to the counseling group for ethical reasons. After completion of the consultation in the VBC group, the posttest measurement took place within ten to 14 days. The same set of post-test questionnaires was submitted to the control group after a one-month waiting period (posttest). The participants in the VBC group participated in a further follow-up assessment after three months. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants for inclusion in the study.