A systematic review and meta-analysis on controlled treatment trials of metacognitive therapy for anxiety disorders

Ramin Sadeghi, Naghmeh Mokhber, Leili Zarifmahmoudi, Hamid Seyfi, Negar Asgharipour

Abstract


Background: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on controlled treatment trials of meta-cognitive therapy for anxiety disorders. Materials and Methods: Studies were included if they employed controlled methodology and treated people above 18 years with anxiety disorders. Case studies (with less than 4 cases) and single case designed studies were excluded. A comprehensive literature search identified 15 trials for systematic review. Results: All included studies showed better treatment results in the MCT arms compared to the control groups. We also statistically pooled the results across studies (when possible). The  meta-analyses also showed that MCT had statistically significant better results compared to the control groups in GAD (both immediately post-treatment and 12 months post-therapy results), OCD, and PTSD (p-values ranged <0.0001-0.025). Conclusion: Based on the results of our systematic review,MCT seems to be an effective treatment for anxiety disorders and can effectively control their psychological problems.


Key words: Anxiety disorders, meta-analysis, meta-cognitive therapy


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