The Effect of Quantitative Electroencephalography-Based Neurofeedback Therapy on Anxiety, Depression, and Emotion Regulation in People with Generalized Anxiety Disorder

INTRODUCTION: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is one of the most common anxiety disorders that has significant adverse effects on social functioning, occupational/academic performance, and daily living. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Quantitative Electroencephalography (QEEG)-based Neurofeedback (NFB) therapy on anxiety, depression, and emotion regulation of people with GAD. METHODS: This research is a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test/post-test/follow-up design and a control group. The study participants were 29 college students with GAD living in Zanjan City, Iran, who were selected using a convenience sampling method. Then, they were randomly divided into two groups of intervention (n=15) and control (n=14). The protocol of NFB therapy was designed based on the QEEG method. The intervention group received QEEG-based NFB therapy for 8 weeks (20 sessions, 2 sessions per week, each session for 45 min), while the control group received no intervention. The samples were surveyed and measured by using a 7-item GAD scale, Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), 21-item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS), and Structured Clinical Interview for DSM (SCID) before and after the intervention and then at a 3-month follow-up. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS software V. 22 using univariate ANCOVA and repeated measures ANOVA. RESULTS: The within-subjects effect of time (pre-test, post-test, and follow-up) was statistically significant (P=0.031). The intervention group showed significant changes in the post-test and follow-up phases in comparison with the control group. The anxiety and depression levels of patients reduced significantly (P=0.001), and their emotion regulation improved (P=0.001) after the intervention, and they remained unchanged in the follow-up period. CONCLUSION: QEEG-based NFB therapy can reduce anxiety and depression and improve emotion regulation in patients with GAD.