The DOI matches its Crossref record; 128 of the 130 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Review of Meta-analyses
Open accessAbstract
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) refers to a popular therapeutic approach that has been applied to a variety of problems. The goal of this review was to provide a comprehensive survey of meta-analyses examining the efficacy of CBT. We identified 269 meta-analytic studies and reviewed of those a representative sample of 106 meta-analyses examining CBT for the following problems: substance use disorder, schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, depression and dysthymia, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, somatoform disorders, eating disorders, insomnia, personality disorders, anger and aggression, criminal behaviors, general stress, distress due to general medical conditions, chronic pain and fatigue, distress related to pregnancy complications and female hormonal conditions. Additional meta-analytic reviews examined the efficacy of CBT for various problems in children and elderly adults. The strongest support exists for CBT of anxiety disorders, somatoform disorders, bulimia, anger control problems, and general stress. Eleven studies compared response rates between CBT and other treatments or control conditions. CBT showed higher response rates than the comparison conditions in 7 of these reviews and only one review reported that CBT had lower response rates than comparison treatments. In general, the evidence-base of CBT is very strong. However, additional research is needed to examine the efficacy of CBT for randomized-controlled studies. Moreover, except for children and elderly populations, no meta-analytic studies of CBT have been reported on specific subgroups, such as ethnic minorities and low income samples.
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In the citing paper
“Cognitive behavioral therapies have been shown to increase success rates and may mitigate suicide risk during smoking cessation.22”
From Are smoking cessation treatments associated with suicidality risk? An overview (2016) · cites this paper as [22]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Through changing thoughts and behaviors, this treatment has been demonstrated to help improve mood symptoms and reduce cravings as well as facilitate smoking cessation.22,50”
From Are smoking cessation treatments associated with suicidality risk? An overview (2016) · cites this paper as [22]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Cognitive behavioral therapies (CBTs) theorize that mental disorders, including mood and addiction disorders, are maintained by cognitive, emotional, and behavioral factors, although the etiology of such disorders may be multicausal, including genetic components.”
From Are smoking cessation treatments associated with suicidality risk? An overview (2016) · cites this paper as [22]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Evidence-based psychological treatments for anxiety and depression (eg, cognitive behavioral therapy) are highly effective in reducing symptoms and improving functioning [1-3].”
From Clinical Effects of Asynchronous Provider-Guided Practice Sessions During Blended Care Therapy for Anxiety and Depression: Pragmatic Retrospective Cohort Study (2024) · cites this paper as [1]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“while general anxiety is related with neuroticism72 and the stress caused by individuals’ maladaptive patterns of thinking, judging, and responding73.”
From Rational thinking as a mediator of the relationship between mindfulness and dental anxiety (2023) · cites this paper as [73]
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“A variety of evidence-based psychotherapeutic treatments for depression are available (American Psychiatric Association, 2000), chief among them being CBT, shown to help in several chronic conditions, including chronic pain, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, and polycystic ovarian syndrome [37,38].”
From Psychological and Psychiatric Comorbidities in Youth with Serious Physical Illness (2022) · cites this paper as [37]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Because of its clear research support, CBT as the gold-standard evolving psychological treatment dominates the international guidelines for psychosocial treatments, making it a first-line treatment for many disorders.”
From Effectiveness of a hybrid arts-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy intervention for patients with non-malignant chronic pain (2022) · cites this paper as [9]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“4 meta-analyses showed how CBT performed better than the other interventions in the treatment of occupational stress [25].”
From A conversational artificial intelligence agent for a mental health care app: Evaluation study of its participatory design (2021) · cites this paper as [25]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“The gold standard intervention to treat anxiety is exposure-based CBT (Hofmann et al., 2012).”
From Targeting excessive avoidance behavior to reduce anxiety related to asthma: A feasibility study of an exposure-based treatment delivered online (2021) · cites this paper as Hofmann et al., 2012
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is widely accepted and has been repeatedly found to be effective for a wide range of psychological problems (Hofmann et al., 2012).”
From ICBT program for improving informal caregiver well-being: A qualitative study (2021) · cites this paper as Hofmann et al., 2012
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“The efficacy of this treatment is supported by The Task Force Report on Empirically Supported Treatments (ESTs; Chambless & Hollon, 1998) and the 12th Division of the APA.”
From Enhancing In Vivo Exposure in the Treatment of Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia Using Location-Based Technologies: A Case Study (2020) · cites this paper as Hofmann et al., 2012
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“The effects on antenatal depression are highly comparable to those found for ICBT-programs as well as traditional CBT for depression (Hedman et al., 2012;Hofmann et al., 2012;Cuijpers et al., 2013).”
From Internet delivered cognitive behavior therapy for antenatal depression: A randomised controlled trial (2017) · cites this paper as Hofmann et al., 2012
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Cognitive Behav ioural Therapy (CBT) is the most well-established psychological treat ment for anxiety and depression (Hofmann et al., 2012).”
From Effects of group Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on anxiety and depressive symptoms in adults: A meta-analysis. (2022) · cites this paper as Hofmann et al., 2012
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Cognitive Behavioral Therapies (CBT) have been shown in recent decades to be broadly effective in reducing many forms of mental illness (Hofmann, Asnanni, Vonk, Sawyer, & Fang, 2012).”
From Trajectories of change in well-being during cognitive behavioral therapies for anxiety disorders: Quantifying the impact and covariation with improvements in anxiety (2020) · cites this paper as Hofmann, Asnanni, Vonk, Sawyer, & Fang, 2012
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Decades of research have clearly demonstrated that CBT has robust effects on many different forms of mental illness, including anxiety disorders (Hofmann et al., 2012)”
From Trajectories of change in well-being during cognitive behavioral therapies for anxiety disorders: Quantifying the impact and covariation with improvements in anxiety (2020) · cites this paper as Hofmann et al., 2012
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Similarly, CBT, with its focus on modifying maladaptive thought patterns and behaviors, has been associated with reductions in stress-related symptoms and pain intensity [64].”
From The Role of Cortisol in Chronic Stress, Neurodegenerative Diseases, and Psychological Disorders (2023) · cites this paper as [64]
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Cognitive behavioral therapies (CBTs) have been found to be effective in treating individuals presenting with symptoms of anxiety and depression 20, 21 – common complaints of ICs – and hence it is likely an appropriate first choice treatment for ICs.”
From Cognitive behavioral therapies for informal caregivers of patients with cancer and cancer survivors: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2017) · cites this paper as [21]
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Interventions that integrate elements of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) have been shown to lead to positive outcomes in improving mental health (22).”
From Efficacy of eHealth interventions to reduce depression symptoms in individuals with obesity: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (2024) · cites this paper as [22]
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Changing cognitions and thoughts can help to reduce symptoms [25].”
From A conversational artificial intelligence agent for a mental health care app: Evaluation study of its participatory design (2021) · cites this paper as [25]
The check wasn’t confident either way, so it gives no verdict — never disputed.
In the citing paper
“Furthermore, panic patients who believed that they had control over the amount of CO 2 they inhaled by turning an inoperative dial were less likely to panic than individuals who knew that they had no control over it 26”
From “Third-wave” cognitive and behavioral therapies and the emergence of a process-based approach to intervention in psychiatry (2021) · cites this paper as [26]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredIn the citing paper
“During the past two decades, effective therapies have become available for the treatment of several PDs [14–16].”
From Personality disorders are important risk factors for disability pensioning (2014) · cites this paper as [15]
In the citing paper
“As PDs are relatively common in the community, and effective treatment is available for some, health care workers should be aware of the strong link between PDs and work force exclusion.”
From Personality disorders are important risk factors for disability pensioning (2014) · cites this paper as [15]
In the citing paper
“A recent review of the literature identified 269 meta-analytic studies examining CBT for nearly every DSM category (Hofmann, Asnaani, Vonk, Sawyer, & Fang, 2012).”
From A process-based approach to psychological diagnosis and treatment:The conceptual and treatment utility of an extended evolutionary meta model (2020) · cites this paper as Hofmann, Asnaani, Vonk, Sawyer, & Fang, 2012
In the citing paper
“While medication and cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) are effective for anxiety disorders (Bandelow et al., 2015;Olatunji, Cisler, & Deacon, 2010), these treatments have limitations, such as drug side-effects and drug dependence, and modest efficacy as only about half of anxiety sufferers respond successfully to CBT (Hofmann, Asnaani, Vonk, Sawyer, & Fang, 2012).”
From Anxiety and attention to threat: cognitive mechanisms and treatment with attention bias modification (2016) · cites this paper as Hofmann et al., 2012
In the citing paper
“It is not surprising then that protocolized treatments for specific forms of psychopathology are only effective for a portion of patients [10].”
From Using person-specific networks in psychotherapy: challenges, limitations, and how we could use them anyway (2020) · cites this paper as [10]
In the citing paper
“Thus, although there is accumulating evidence for the efficacy of these approaches (Hofmann, Asnaani, Vonk, Sawyer, & Fang, 2012; Kuyken et al., 2016), their wide-spread availability is currently limited.”
From Beneficial effects of training in self-distancing and perspective broadening for people with a history of recurrent depression (2017) · cites this paper as Hofmann, Asnaani, Vonk, Sawyer, & Fang, 2012
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Citations
Cites
4 retracted
Psychological interventions for overweight or obesity
Shaw, K. A., O'Rourke, P., Del Mar, C., & Kenardy, J. (2005) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd003818.pub2 · Cited by 442
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Soo, S., Moayyedi, P., Deeks, J. J., Delaney, B. C., Lewis, M., & Forman, D. (2011) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd002301.pub5 · Cited by 74
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Ma, O.-B., Adams, P. J., & Mobberley, P. (2000) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd001521 · Cited by 46
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(2021) · PubMed · doi:10.29158/jaapl.210028-20 · Cited by 3,854
The empirical status of cognitive-behavioral therapy: A review of meta-analyses
Butler, A. C., Chapman, J. E., Forman, E. M., & Beck, A. T. (2006) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2005.07.003 · Cited by 3,215
Research works printed but not linked: 6
- Ghahramanlou, M. (2003). Cognitive behavioral treatment efficacy for anxiety disorders: A meta-analytic review. Unpublished Dissertation, Fairleigh Dickinson University.
- Guggisberg, K. W. (2005). Methodological review and meta-analysis of treatments for child and adolescent obsessive-compulsive disorder. Salt Lake City: University of Utah.
- Hofmann, S. G. (2011). An introduction to modern CBT: Psychological solutions to mental health problems. Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.
- Phillips, A. S. (2003). A meta-analysis of treatments for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder. Manhattan, Kansas: Kansas State University.
- Santacruz, I., Orgilés, M., Rosa, A. I., Sánchez-Meca, J., Méndez, X., & Olivares, J. (2002). Generalized anxiety, separation anxiety and school phobia: The predominance of cognitive-behavioural therapy/Ansiedad generalizada, ansiedad por separación y fobia escolar: el predominio de la terapia cognitivo-conductual. Behavioral Psychology/Psicología Conductual, 10(3), 503–521.
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Chu, C., Buchman-Schmitt, J. M., Stanley, I. H., Hom, M. A., Tucker, R. P., Hagan, C. R., Rogers, M. L., Podlogar, M. C., Chiurliza, B., Ringer, F. B., et al. (2017) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/bul0000123 · Cited by 1,231
Advances in cognitive theory and therapy: The generic cognitive model
Beck, A. T., & Haigh, E. A. P. (2014) · Annual Review of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-032813-153734 · Cited by 1,055
“Despite evidence that cognitive therapy is an efficacious and effective treatment for a number of disorders (Butler et al. 2006; Hofmann et al. 2012, 2013; Hofmann & Smits 2008), dissemination efforts have lagged behind.”
BackgroundCognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Insomnia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Trauer, J. M., Qian, M. Y., Doyle, J. S., Rajaratnam, S. M. W., & Cunnington, D. (2015) · Annals of Internal Medicine · doi:10.7326/m14-2841 · Cited by 1,053
“The results from this search were combined with the results from 2 reviews of reviews of the topic (85, 86).”
ResultMental Health Smartphone Apps: Review and Evidence-Based Recommendations for Future Developments
Bakker, D., Kazantzis, N., Rickwood, D., & Rickard, N. (2016) · JMIR Mental Health · doi:10.2196/mental.4984 · Cited by 886
“The efficacy of CBT has been supported by a comprehensive review of 106 meta-analyses across different clinical groups [26].”
Machine Learning Approaches for Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry
Dwyer, D. B., Falkai, P., & Koutsouleris, N. (2018) · Annual Review of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-032816-045037 · Cited by 966
Metadata
- Authors
- Hofmann, S. G., Asnaani, A., Vonk, I. J. J., Sawyer, A. T., & Fang, A.
- Affiliations
- Boston University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Hofmann, Stefan G.
- Venue
- Cognitive Therapy and Research
- Published
- 2012-07-31
- Volume
- 36
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 427-440
- ISSN
- 0147-5916 (ISSN-L)
- 1573-2819
- PMC
- PMC3584580
- OpenAlex
- W2036735145
- Semantic Scholar
- 17c0a3ec0f066a90b84fa336daf8c55391b5254a
- Cited by
- 3,445
- References
- 130
- Citations by year
- 2026: 313 · 2025: 444 · 2024: 307 · 2023: 289 · 2022: 353 · 2021: 373 · 2020: 299 · 2019: 256 · 2018: 225 · 2017: 186 · 2016: 177 · 2015: 101 · 2014: 78 · 2013: 36 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 92.71
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Update notices
- correction (2014-01-08)
- Open access
- green
- europepmc.org
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Cognitive Therapy and Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health (R21MH073937, R01MH078308, R01MH081116)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychological Treatments and Assessments
- Keywords
- cognitive behavioral therapy, treatment efficacy, meta-analysis, anxiety disorders, somatoform disorders, bulimia nervosa, anger management, stress, substance use disorders, schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, insomnia, personality disorders, criminal behavior, chronic pain, pregnancy complications, children, older adults, evidence base
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