Cited by 259Digital Mental Health InterventionsAnxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive ProcessesTelemedicine and Telehealth Implementation

Therapist-supported internet-based cognitive behaviour therapy yields similar effects as face-to-face therapy for psychiatric and somatic disorders: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis

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Hedman‐Lagerlöf, Erik, Carlbring, Per, Svärdman, Frank, Riper, Heleen, Cuijpers, Pim, Andersson, Gerhard·2023·World Psychiatry

Abstract

Providing therapist-guided cognitive behaviour therapy via the Internet (ICBT) has advantages, but a central research question is to what extent similar clinical effects can be obtained as with gold-standard face-to-face cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT). In a previous meta-analysis published in this journal, which was updated in 2018, we found evidence that the pooled effects for the two formats were equivalent in the treatment of psychiatric and somatic disorders, but the number of published randomized trials was relatively low (n=20). As this is a field that moves rapidly, the aim of the current study was to conduct an update of our systematic review and meta-analysis of the clinical effects of ICBT vs. face-to-face CBT for psychiatric and somatic disorders in adults. We searched the PubMed database for relevant studies published from 2016 to 2022. The main inclusion criteria were that studies had to compare ICBT to face-to-face CBT using a randomized controlled design and targeting adult populations. Quality assessment was made using the Cochrane risk of bias criteria (Version 1), and the main outcome estimate was the pooled standardized effect size (Hedges' g) using a random effects model. We screened 5,601 records and included 11 new randomized trials, adding them to the 20 previously identified ones (total n=31). Sixteen different clinical conditions were targeted in the included studies. Half of the trials were in the fields of depression/depressive symptoms or some form of anxiety disorder. The pooled effect size across all disorders was g=0.02 (95% CI: -0.09 to 0.14) and the quality of the included studies was acceptable. This meta-analysis further supports the notion that therapist-supported ICBT yields similar effects as face-to-face CBT.

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Authors
Hedman‐Lagerlöf, E., Carlbring, P., Svärdman, F., Riper, H., Cuijpers, P., & Andersson, G.
Affiliations
  • Karolinska Institutet (SE)
  • Stockholm University (SE)
  • Amsterdam Public Health (NL)
  • Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (NL)
  • Linköping University (SE)
Venue
World Psychiatry
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2023-05-09
Volume
22
Issue
2
Pages
305-314
ISSN
  • 1723-8617 (ISSN-L)
  • 2051-5545
OpenAlex
W4376133551
Cited by
259
References
45
Citations by year
2026: 82 · 2025: 86 · 2024: 58 · 2023: 32 · 2022: 1
FWCI
8.76
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • World Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Amsterdam UMC (VU Amsterdam) - Institutional Repository (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
Yale University
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Telemedicine and Telehealth Implementation
Keywords
internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy, digital mental health interventions, depression, anxiety disorders, somatic diseases, treatment efficacy comparison, adults

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