Single application of the unified protocol in university students of the Balearic Islands: a pilot study

Despite the proven evidence of the Unified Protocol (UP) for the transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorders (ED), there is no study using the UP to treat ED in a Spanish clinical sample of university students. The objective of this study has been to determine the clinical utility of UP in this population. The project consisted of a pilot study of an open treatment outcome study without a control group, carried out in the psychological care service of the University of the Balearic Islands. UP was applied in individual face to face format to 17 participants with a diagnosis of ED. After the intervention, only two participants maintained their diagnosis. Except for one participant, all had a statistically significant reduction in depressive and anxious symptoms, with moderate-large effect sizes (Cohen's r= 0.48 – 0.62). These results are encouraging and are consistent with the evidence to date. We believe that UP could be a clinically useful treatment alternative for university psychological services.