The efficacy of internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy for social anxiety disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The efficacy of internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy for social anxiety disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Psychol Psychother. 2020 Nov 03;: Authors: Guo S, Deng W, Wang H, Liu J, Liu X, Yang X, He C, Zhang Q, Liu B, Dong X, Yang Z, Li Z, Li X Abstract Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is one of the most common lifelong anxiety disorders. Although cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has proven to be effective in treating people with SAD, it may not be available for a considerable proportion of patients. Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (ICBT) is more accessible than face-to-face treatment. This meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy of ICBT in patients with SAD. We searched 5 databases, PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Health Management Information Consortium, Ovid MEDLINE, and EMBASE, and identified 20 eligible randomized controlled trials published from inception to July 25, 2020, with the outcome data from 1,743 participants. The results indicated that ICBT had a significant positive effect on patients with SAD compared with the control groups (g = -0.55). A subgroup analysis revealed that ICBT and CBT had an equal effect on treating patients with SAD (g = -0.18). There was also no difference between ICBT and ICBT plus other therapies in the treatment of patients with SAD (g = -0.07). The effect size of ICBT on patients with SAD was maintained at the 6-month follow-up (g = -0.08...
Source: Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy - Category: Psychiatry Tags: Clin Psychol Psychother Source Type: research