Cited by 95Psychotherapy Techniques and ApplicationsAnxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive ProcessesMental Health Treatment and Access

Psychological treatment of depressive symptoms in patients with medical disorders: a meta-analysis

van Straten, Annemieke, Geraedts, Anna, Verdonck-de Leeuw, Irma, Andersson, Gerhard, Cuijpers, Pim·2010·Journal of Psychosomatic Research

Abstract

Objective It is widely acknowledged that the prevalence of depression in the general population is high, but that it is even higher for patients with medical disorders. Yet, the effectiveness of psychological treatments in these patient populations has not been firmly established.Methods We conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies examining the effects of psychological treatments in patients with 1 of 10 different medical disorders and elevated levels of depression. Extensive searches were performed in PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials.Results We included 23 studies. The overall effect size of the 15 studies that compared psychological treatments with a waitlist or care-as-usual control group was d=1.00 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.57-1.44] but declined to d=0.42 (95% CI, 0.27-0.58) after removing two outliers with extremely high effects. We tested the type of disorder, inclusion based on diagnostic criteria or symptoms, type of treatment, treatment format, type of control group, and intention-to-treat or completers analyses, but none of these variables were significantly associated with the effect. The four studies that compared one type of psychotherapy to another showed a positive effect of cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy compared to supportive therapy (d=0.42; 95% CI, 0.14-0.69). There were not enough studies (n=3) to draw any conclusions about the comparison of psychotherapy to pharmacotherapy.Conclusion We conclude that the effects of psychological treatment of patients with medical disorders are very similar to those found in otherwise healthy patients. Treating this comorbid depression should be one of the priorities in medical care settings.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2010.01.019

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  • Effective treatments for depression and anxiety exist in general and medical populations.

    “Effective treatments for depression and anxiety exist in general and medical populations (van Straten et al., 2010; Gartlehner et al., 2011; Roshanaei-Moghaddam et al., 2011; Cuijpers et al., 2013, 2014; Hunsley et al., 2014; Bandelow et al., 2015”
  • The effect size (SMD −0.45) found in this study is consistent with the moderate effect reported by van Straten et al. for psychological treatment of depression in patients with medical conditions, suggesting psychological interventions are at least moderately effective in treating depression in medical conditions.

    “The effect size (SMD= −0.45) found in our study is consistent with this finding, suggesting psychological interventions are at least moderately effective in treating depression in medical conditions.”

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Authors
van Straten, A., Geraedts, A., Verdonck-de Leeuw, I., Andersson, G., & Cuijpers, P.
Affiliations
  • Amsterdam Public Health (NL)
  • Linköping University (SE)
Venue
Journal of Psychosomatic Research
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2010-07
Volume
69
Issue
1
Pages
23-32
ISSN
0022-3999 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2168467821
Cited by
95
References
63
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 10
FWCI
1.40
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Journal of Psychosomatic Research (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Amsterdam UMC (VU Amsterdam) - Institutional Repository (publishedVersion)
  • VU Research Portal (publishedVersion)
  • Digital Academic REpository of VU University Amsterdam (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) (submittedVersion)
  • Pure Amsterdam UMC (submittedVersion)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
Keywords
depressive symptoms, health disorders, psychological intervention, psychotherapy, comorbid depression, cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, supportive therapy, psychotherapy versus pharmacotherapy, treatment effectiveness
MeSH terms
Antidepressive Agents, Chronic Disease, Depressive Disorder, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Psychotherapy, Sick Role, Controlled Clinical Trials as Topic

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