Association Between Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-Related Knowledge, Attitude, Practice, and Anxiety Severity Among Adults: A Cross-sectional Study.
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Abstract
Background: Anxiety disorders are among the most prevalent mental health conditions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the effective non-pharmacological interventions for anxiety management. Objective: The present study aimed to evaluate the association between Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-related Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) components and anxiety severity among adults. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted among 426 participants residing in urban and rural areas of District Rampur. The severity of Anxiety was assessed using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale, while CBT-related KAP was evaluated using a validated self-structured questionnaire. Results: Among the participants, 78.4% were categorized as anxious, whereas 21.6% were non-anxious. Mild anxiety was the most prevalent category (43.7%), followed by moderate anxiety (26.3%) and severe anxiety (8.4%). Significant associations were observed between knowledge level and GAD severity (χ² = 15.10, p = 0.020), attitude level and GAD severity (χ² = 54.43, p < 0.001), and practice level and GAD severity (χ² = 27.19, p < 0.001). Pearson correlation analysis demonstrated weak but significant negative correlations between knowledge score and GAD score (r = -0.181, p < 0.001), attitude score and GAD score (r = -0.125, p = 0.010), and practice score and GAD score (r = -0.268, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The findings indicate that improved CBT-related knowledge, positive attitudes, and healthy behavioral practices are significantly associated with reduced anxiety severity among adults. Strengthening mental health awareness and promoting CBT-based educational and behavioral interventions may help reduce anxiety burden in the community.
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