Abstract
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 seven 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.
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 seven 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.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Category Original Article
- Pages 1-14
- DOI 10.1007/s10608-012-9476-1
- Authors
- Stefan G. Hofmann, Department of Psychology, Boston University, 648 Beacon St., 6th floor, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Anu Asnaani, Department of Psychology, Boston University, 648 Beacon St., 6th floor, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Imke J. J. Vonk, Department of Psychology, Boston University, 648 Beacon St., 6th floor, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Alice T. Sawyer, Department of Psychology, Boston University, 648 Beacon St., 6th floor, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Angela Fang, Department of Psychology, Boston University, 648 Beacon St., 6th floor, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Journal Cognitive Therapy and Research
- Online ISSN 1573-2819
- Print ISSN 0147-5916