Introduction
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has catalyzed a widespread mental health crisis, impacting millions of people. This study aimed to compare three brief remote psychological treatments for healthcare workers with emotional distress during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Methods
Nationwide three-arm randomized clinical trial in Brazil. We included healthcare professionals with high levels of anxiety, depression, or irritability, as defined by Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS). Participants were randomized to single-session psychoeducation group plus weekly pre-recorded videos for four weeks (SSI-ET), brief cognitive behavioral telepsychotherapy group (B-CBT, four sessions), or brief interpersonal telepsychotherapy (B-IPT, four sessions). The primary outcome was the proportion of participants with a 50% reduction in T-scores in PROMIS scales at one-month.

Results
Of the 3328 volunteers assessed for eligibility, 999 participants were enrolled, from May 19th 2020 to December 31st 2021, and allocated to SSI-ET (n=342), B-CBT (n=323), or B-IPT (n=334). All groups showed significant symptom reductions in the one-month assessment that were maintained over the three and six-month follow-ups (Cohen's d range=0.94-1.36), with no significant difference between groups. The proportion of responders were 46.5%, 43.7%, and 44.6% for SSI-ET, B-CBT, and B-IPT, respectively.

Conclusion
Our results do not indicate that therapeutic interventions with higher number of sessions and with more specialized therapeutic components offer advantages in alleviating emotional distress, particularly among healthcare workers facing epidemic emergencies. These results have critical implications for planning interventions for crisis responses, especially in settings with limited resources.