Introduction
anxiety, maladaptive behaviors, depressive symptoms, depressive disorder, impaired social function, MDD, depression, chronic debilitating condition
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a chronic debilitating condition associated with impaired social function [The most widely used form of digital psychological intervention for MDD is internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (ICBT). ICBT is based on the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which aims to evaluate and modify a patient’s dysfunctional thoughts and rectify maladaptive behaviors [Many randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have been carried out to examine the effectiveness of ICBT for alleviating depressive symptoms, and they have reported varied results with small [ICBT can be classified as guided or unguided. Guided ICBT has been defined as ICBT that involves therapeutic support delivered by specialists, while unguided ICBT has been defined as ICBT that is delivered automatically and allows technical support but not support related to the therapeutic content [This study aimed to (1) evaluate the efficacy of ICBT for depressive symptoms in patients with MDD; (2) evaluate the effect of ICBT on patients’ anxiety symptoms, nonspecific psychological distress, general self-efficacy, stigma associated with depression, social function, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL); and (3) explore the acceptability of and satisfaction with the ICBT program applied among participants, so as to provide a reference for the subsequent promotion of digital psychological services.