Attention bias modification (ABM) is a method in telepsychology, which uses computer tasks to modify the participant’s attentional bias. Online ABM has several advantages, including treatment homogeneity and ease of implementation. However, a comprehensive analysis of online ABM has not been conducted, and its overall treatment effect is therefore unclear. In this study, we conducted a meta-analysis of online ABM studies regardless of the methods and diseases involved, and evaluated its overall effectiveness. Of the 144 articles systematically collected, 10 articles were included in the analysis. The analysis showed that although the between-group effect size of online ABM was not statistically significant at g＝−0.010, the within-group effect size was significant (g＝0.489, p＜.0001). Sub-group analysis included diagnosis, ABM method, and disease type; however they were not related to the treatment effect. Overall, ABM did not show a treatment effect compared to the placebo task, but the research for factors that influence the treatment effect needs to be pursued.

It is reported that sleep has been disturbed during COVID-19. However, infection control through voluntary activity is different between Japan and overseas (i.e., stay-at-home request vs. lockdown). In addition, previous studies have only investigated the impact after the outbreak of COVID-19; therefore, no studies comparing sleep disturbances both before and after the pandemic exist. The present study aimed to examine sleep changes during COVID-19 using data from 6,963 sleep recording app users by comparing their sleep conditions from January to June 2020 with sleep data from the same period in 2018 and 2019. The results of the log-linear model showed that the proportion of individuals who slept less than 6 hours in April, May, and June 2020 was significantly lower than in other years. Sleep latency, wake after sleep onset, and sleep efficiency did not improve or worsen in 2020. These findings suggest that infection control through voluntary activity restrictions leads to an increase in sleep duration in Japan.

The demand for the educational practices using information and communication technology in Japanese schools and the widespread of COVID-19 infection require the development of effective distance learning support. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness and social validity of distance learning support for reading Kanji using stimulus pairing procedures in two students with developmental disabilities. For this purpose, in Case I, we supported the child’s independent learning via video meetings and e-mails, and in Case Ⅱ, we used only video meetings. In both cases, we used a multiple probe design to examine the effects of the interventions. We measured the percentage of Kanji words read correctly throughout the study. The results indicated that the percentage of Kanji words read correctly improved in both cases. In addition, participants and their parents rated the distance learning support as excellent. However, there were some problems in maintaining the intervention effect in Case I. Future issues such as improving the maintenance of the intervention effect, examining the generalization of the intervention effect, and the procedural fidelity were discussed.

A panic disorder is an anxiety disorder that is characterized by recurrent panic attacks and anticipatory anxiety, which interferes with daily life, due to one’s fear of having a panic attack. It is a psychiatric illness, characterized by repeated panic attacks, which can severely impair day-to-day functioning. The effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy has been established for the treatment of panic disorders, and the safety and feasibility of personal cognitive-behavioral therapy for Japanese patients has been proven when intervening in face-to-face and remote conditions. In this study, we report on the course of therapy of an adult male with a panic disorder, who also has irritable bowel syndrome. He received cognitive behavioral therapy via videoconference for 50 minutes per week, for 16 weeks. Results showed that the symptoms of the panic disorder and irritable bowel syndrome had remarkably improved, and the therapeutic effect was maintained, even 12 months after the final session. This indicates that remote cognitive-behavioral therapy provided via videoconference can treat panic disorders and comorbid irritable bowel syndrome.

As part of the discussion on sustainable development goals (SDGs) concerning health at the United Nations Summit, the objective is to ensure a healthy lifestyle and promote welfare for people of all ages. Tele-cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) can be effective for promoting the idea that “no one is left behind,” which is emphasized in SDGs. Tele-CBT is a means of enabling the provision of CBT, particularly when it is difficult to receive face-to-face CBT owing to outbreaks of infectious diseases or a shortage of therapists. However, mainstreaming tele-CBT may result in certain people being excluded from the scope of psychotherapy provision, and hence being “left behind.” In this paper, we examine cases wherein tele-CBT was difficult to conduct, and the therapy’s effect considering three viewpoints: (1) the digital divide, (2) the client’s pathology and disability, and (3) the emergency response. By recognizing the role and limitations of tele-CBT, the importance of providing psychological support is highlighted to ensure that “no one is left behind.”

This study extracted 12 topics from studies about telepsychology based on the text data of journal abstracts using the structural topic model (STM). Telepsychology is a psychological support approach that applies information technology (IT), internet communication technology (ICT), and so on. Using telephonic communication, videoconferencing, and so on, telepsychology offers a wide variety of support styles to tackle complex issues. There are few examples of telepsychology being applied in clinical practice in Japan. STM, an extended topic modeling method like the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), is a statistical modeling method using text corpora. STM can include psychological variables in models to indicate hot topics based on prevalence. Thus, we need to identify direct issues to which telepsychology can be applied in clinical practice. A total of 578 abstracts were analyzed using STM and the following were obtained: (1) word cloud, (2) overall prevalence of topics, and (3) transition of prevalence of topics. The results indicated 12 topics, of which 2 named “support for depression/anxiety” and “mobile app” had a high prevalence. In particular, the transition of the prevalence of topics revealed that “mobile app” prevalence has been increasing rapidly since 2010. The topic named “monitoring and prevention of high-risk symptom” was also increasing. Therefore, an issue that should be prioritized is offering preventive support for depression/anxiety using mobile apps.

We describe the process of introducing online cognitive and behavioral therapies at a primary care psychosomatic clinic during the novel coronavirus pandemic. The preparation period was relatively short, due to some helpful references and the use of “Zoom,” the off-the-shelf web conference service. In total, 92 sessions were implemented over six months for 22 cases, whose diagnoses and intervention methods were similar to those used in in-person counseling. There were no dropout cases, and the sustained rate was higher than that of the last year. Concerning the intervention’s quality, the patients’ satisfaction level was as high as it was last year, with both the main and sub-therapists reporting more merits than demerits. Significant effects were observed on first-grade master’s course students through the attendance training, which should be prioritized as a new form of clinical training.

The purpose of this study was to develop a smartphone application for stress management that facilitated the implementation of suitable coping strategies for each stressor and improved sleep quality through automated individualized feedback based on users’ data input, and to examine its effectiveness on workers. The effectiveness of the application was evaluated by pre- and post-intervention comparisons of the coping repertoire, sleep quality, and psychological stress response in three groups (application, worksheets, and individual interviewing). After analyzing 63 workers’ data, no significant differences in the coping repertoire and psychological stress response between the application group and the two other groups were found. However, there was a significant improvement in sleep quality in the individual interviewing group. The findings suggest that there is still room for improvement in the developed smartphone application, and future directions are discussed.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been effective for treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, there is insufficient evaluation of the changes in quality of life (QOL) due to the intervention and how to apply CBT individually according to the patient’s symptom profiles and condition. Therefore, we evaluated these factors through a case study. The patient was a woman in her 30s who suffered from PTSD, caused by workplace violence. The patient continued work after the traumatic event, by making certain changes to her workplace environment. However, she continued to experience PTSD symptoms, and her QOL in her workplace and personal life deteriorated considerably. We introduced to a type of CBT that involved: relaxation training, analyzing past relationships with the assailant, and value-based goal-setting. The intervention was conducted 21 times over 1.5 years. Treatment results indicated increased value-committed behaviors in the workplace and improved overall QOL. Our findings suggest that symptom reduction through relaxation training, cognitive change through deliberate rumination, and increased value-committed behaviors are important factors of CBT that contribute toward improving the QOL of patients with PTSD. Future research should accumulate evidence for interventions that focus on current QOL rather than on past trauma, as in this case.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of behavioral coaching using video modeling and video feedback for beginner gymnasts learning the back handspring. Four male junior-high-school students were enrolled in a multiple-baseline design study that consisted of two phases: phase I involved video feedback, while phase II involved a combination of video modeling and video feedback. Back handspring included seven steps according to the task analysis and the correct execution of steps during each trial was evaluated. The number of steps executed correctly increased for three of the four participants in phase I and for two participants in phase II. The results suggest that behavioral coaching with video modeling and video feedback could improve back handsprings among junior high school beginner gymnasts.

This study aimed to examine the effect of a program for managers based on acceptance and commitment therapy. A group program totaling three 90-minute sessions was implemented on 58 managers. Using a Bayesian approach, organizational unit work performance was evaluated before and after the program as the primary outcome. The results showed no improvement in the performance of 18 organizations, which did not support the hypothesis (EAP (expected a posteriori) estimation ＝−0.19 [95％ highest density intervals −0.53, 0.17]). However, individual managers’ psychological inflexibility was indicated parenthetically as one of the process outcomes. The results showed a decreasing trend in the psychological inflexibility of 27 managers, supporting the direction of the hypothesis, although the credible interval included 0 (EAP estimation ＝−1.02 [95％ credible interval−2.11, 0.09]). Secondary outcomes included showing the possibility of increased support around organizational units as well as increased leadership behavior of managers at the individual level.